Cappelen Damm Agency. Fiction, spring 2015. by Cappelen Damm AS

FICTION RIGHTS CATALOGUE

Cappelen Damm Agency 2015

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Published by CAPPELEN DAMM AS www.cappelendamm.no Layout: CAPPELEN DAMM AS Print: AIT Oslo, Oslo 2015 ISBN: 978-82-02-48525-2 Cover Design: iStockphoto © CAPPELEN DAMM AS 2015

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CONTENT Contact Information................................................... 4 Novels....................................................................... 7 Crime Fiction.............................................................. 35 Short Stories, Poetry, Essays ..................................... 51 Flamme Forlag........................................................... 59 Commercial Fiction.................................................... 71

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ÅSFRID HEGDAL Rights Director asfrid.hegdal@cappelendamm.no Dir +47 21 61 74 15 Mob +47 924 46 123

GERD MOSS Rights Manager gerd.moss@cappelendamm.no Dir +47 21 61 75 72 Mob +47 911 36 157

INGVILD HAUGLAND Rights Manager ingvild.haugland@cappelendamm.no Dir +47 21 61 74 31 Mob +47 414 10 647

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CAPPELEN DAMM AGENCY Cappelen Damm is Norway’s largest publishing house, publishing approximately 1000 titles a year, within the genres of fiction, non-fiction, educational books and children’s books. Cappelen Damm is owned jointly by Bonnier and Egmont. Cappelen Damm’s list of authors includes Lars Saabye Christensen, Karin Fossum, Vigdis Hjorth, Erlend Loe, Britt Karin Larsen and Roy Jacobsen. We also have a strong list of fiction in translation, which includes J.M. Coetzee, Patrick Modiano, David Foster Wallace, Lydia Davis, Lucinda Riley, Lars Kepler and JK Rowling. Cappelen Damm Agency represents the rights of all of the authors in this catalogue. This includes titles from Flamme Forlag, an imprint of Cappelen Damm AS. It is an Oslo-based small press devoted to experimental fiction in all categories. Their list boasts a new, bold generation of Norwegian writers. The Agency is responsible for all foreign book rights, as well as rights for TV, film, radio, anthologies, electronic media, etc. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the authors and the sales of foreign rights. We attend all the major international bookfairs, and are looking forward to speaking to you!

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NOVELS

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NOVELS

WELCOME TO US How to grieve, and to go on living in the shadow of an even greater grief? In Eivind Hofstad Evjemo's new novel we meet a married couple, Arild and Sella, who are trying, each in their own way, to come to terms with the loss of their son Kim, whom they adopted from the Philippines. We follow Sella in particular, who feels that she and Kim were not as close as they might have been, and goes back over her memories in search of some explanation of why he left them. AUTHOR:

EIVIND HOFSTAD EVJEMO

We learn that Kim died as a result of a ferry capsizing while in the Philippines, where perhaps he had been hoping to track down his biological mother. The accident happened over ten years ago, but the terrorist attack on the government buildings in Oslo and on Utøya in 2011 brings their own tragedy back to them, and to Sella in particular.

TITLE ENGLISH:

WELCOME TO US TITLE NORWEGIAN:

VELKOMMEN TIL OSS FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 232 pages

A couple living in the same neighbourhood lost a daughter on Utøya, and Sella becomes almost obsessed with the thought of how this couple manage to articulate their loss, create new perspectives for their lives, and come to terms with something so unspeakable. She plans to bake something for them, because that's the kind of thing people do. But over and over again she abandons the idea and instead she observes them as closely as she can. Eivind Hofstad Evjemo is a writer who needs nothing more than ordinary people in order to see deeply into life and open up wide perspectives to reflection, and he does so with a language that is uniquely precise and poetic. In his previous novel, Det siste du skal se er et ansikt av kjærlighet, he described almost a whole community in welfare-state Norway, and all the various fates that go to keeping its wheels in motion. In this novel it is as though he has zoomed in to focus on just a few of these fates, and managed to extract from within them an even larger humanity.

PHOTO: BIRGIT SOLHAUG

Eivind Hofstad Evjemo (1983–) has attended the Litterær Gestaltning in

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Gothenburg. For his debut novel Vekk meg hvis jeg sovner from 2009 he won the Tarjei Vesaas' First Fiction Prize, a prize which has also been given to authors like Lars Saabye Christensen, Roy Jacobsen and Karin Fossum. Det siste du skal se er et ansikt av kjærlighet, his 2nd novel, was published 2014.

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NOVELS

▶ ‘Evjemo's writing is brilliant, unpretentious, precise and nuanced. He describes the space between people. The distance. The silent sorrow. The loneliness. The despair. And he has the unique ability to do this subtly, using props with which we are all familiar ... But he also writes about love, unity and a sense of belonging. It's real. It's important. And it is penned by an author who would appear to be one of the best that Norwegian contemporary literature has to offer.’ ADRESSEAVISEN

‘Everything that was unclear or completely overlooked before is suddenly laid out. Details that you didn't notice before suddenly become not only visible, but charged with meaning ... He has a unique way of looking at the everyday occurrences, practical details and past events that dominate our lives.’ DAGENS NÆRINGSLIV

‘Velkommen til oss doesn't have any dramatic twists and turns, clichés or caricatures. This is an unassuming novel about loss and grief, and a novel which could easily be read more than once.’ KK

‘One seldom encounters such accomplished writing. Every sentence vibrates with aesthetic delight and existential solemnity.’ BERGENS TIDENDE

‘Evjemo has made several successful attempts to counteract everyday triviality with compositional originality. He writes lyrical, thoughtful passages and allows his characters to enter a monastery or be part of a tragicomic amateur theatre production without giving into the temptation to make fun.’ DAGBLADET

‘The sorrow is well presented from a clever perspective, and there is not a line too many.’ TRØNDER-AVISA

‘I am a great admirer of Evjemo's empathetic and cinematic bird's-eye view and I hope that he goes on to write many more books.’ VG

‘... a considerate and precautionary depiction of people burdened by sorrow, a sorrow that, if it does not completely paralyse them, will change the way in which they relate to each other and themselves. Based on the traumatic events of 22 July on Utøya and in the centre of Oslo, Hofstad Evjemo paints a gentle and sensitive picture of what the trauma that we all feel to varying degrees has done to a few individuals and families – those closest to the victims. He does this indirectly and with the greatest discretion.’ STAVANGER AFTENBLAD

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NOVELS

IN THE BEST SENSE Helene grew up with foster parents Anna and Helge. She has now started her own family and moved back to her home town in the hope of saving her marriage with Karl. It is winter, they are living in a huge old house, and Karl is working out of town. He says that he cannot come home because of the weather. This novel tells the story of Helene's search for companionship: about feeling like a guest in her foster parents' house, about young love, longing and loneliness. Helene and her growing sense of unease are headed for a storm: will Karl come home? AUTHOR:

I beste mening is an insightful novel about belonging. Benedicte Meyer Kroneberg explores communication problems in close relationships and how people can become lonely even in the most seemingly ideal situations. It is also a novel about those that fall between the cracks, about those who are too unforgiving for most, but not confident enough when it comes to those closest to them, and about how the incorrect assumptions we make about the motive of others can have serious consequences.

BENEDICTE MEYER KRONEBERG TITLE ENGLISH:

IN THE BEST SENSE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

I BESTE MENING FORMAT:

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

130x205 mm / 224 pages

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Benedicte Meyer Kroneberg (1972–) was born in Oslo, but now lives on the outskirts of Arendal. She graduated from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology with a degree in Nordic literature, and works as a lower secondary teacher.

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NOVELS

COUSINS Whereas children his age, including his siblings, have completed their education and leapt into adult life, Njål has abandoned his studies, still lives in his parents' basement and works at the petrol station just across the road. Fettere & kusiner follows Njål through ten days during which he looks back on his childhood and wonders whether everything turned out as it did because of what happened one summer at the cabin. Ten days during which he also receives an offer and makes new acquaintances that might be able to help him out of his rut.

AUTHOR:

KRISTIAN S. HÆGGERNES TITLE ENGLISH:

COUSINS

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

FETTERE & KUSINER FORMAT:

Kristian S. Hæggernes (1972–) saw his first collection of poetry Tyngde av

fallende skygge, published in 2004. The collection Med vinterstemme came out in 2008.

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PHOTO: ÅSNE HAGEN

130x205 mm / 272 pages

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NOVELS

THE DARK HOUSE It is a lovely summer's day, one of the best. Arnstein Weide, fourteen years and three months old, is on his way to meet his friend from school, Ørjan. But there are police cars and police officers outside Ørjan's house. One of them asks Arnstein to leave. Next day at school, there is a rumour going around that Ørjan has shot his father. And that he is now missing. It is 1957. Twenty years later, Arnstein has become an author. Ørjan is still missing. The murder remains unsolved. Then a theatre troupe from Germany arrive, and things start to happen. But what really happened in the summer of 1957? And what did it mean for the two friends, their parents and their neighbours – and not least Arnstein's wife, the loving and devoted Lisbeth?

AUTHOR:

TOR EDVIN DAHL TITLE ENGLISH:

THE DARK HOUSE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

The answer only comes when the story fast-forwards to our own time. In a graveyard, in front of a gravestone, two people are forced to make their final decisions. Decisions pushing the limits of loyalty and love, but perhaps desire and justice as well. This is a novel set in Oslo. It reflects life as it was lived in the first afterwar period and all the changes that came with political struggles and youthful rebellion. And where it all ended.

DET MØRKE HUSET FORMAT:

PHOTO: JAN ERIK FRIIS

130x205 mm / 272 pages

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Tor Edvin Dahl (1943–) made his literary debut with the novel En sommer tung av regn in 1968. He has since published a number of novels, thrillers, children's books, textbooks, non-fiction, radio dramas and plays for the stage and television. He translates books for children and adults.

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NOVELS

THE FOREST IN THE WALLPAPER Seventeen-year-old Mathilde goes to the country with her mother and stepfather to get her deceased grandmother's house ready for sale. It is here that she meets neighbour Aslak, finds a dead animal in the forest, follows her friend on Facebook, reads Japanese comics and cohabits with an unstable mother and drunkard stepfather. She also rediscovers the dream world she invented when she was little: the forest in the wallpaper at her grandmother's house. A world that, with its safety and innocence, is in direct contrast with the reality to which she otherwise relates.

AUTHOR:

STIG BEITE LØKEN TITLE ENGLISH:

Stig Beite Løken's world may remind some of the worlds we encounter in Ricky Moody's The Ice Storm and films such as Fish Tank. It is with a good sense of the challenges that Mathilde faces in recognising that she is alone in the world that the author depicts a strong and vulnerable young woman.

THE FOREST IN THE WALLPAPER TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SKOGEN I TAPETET FORMAT:

Stig Beite Løken (1983–) lives in Stavanger. He has a Masters degree in comparative literature. Det finnes ingenting mer livsbejaende enn å være mørkeredd (2012) was his first book.

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PHOTO: CAPPEL DAMM / ANNA-JULIA GRANBERG / BLUNDERBUSS

115x185 mm / 256 pages

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NOVELS

A NORWEGIAN HOUSE AWARDED BRAGES HEDERSPRIS 2014

Alma is a divorced, middle-aged textile artist who makes standards for marching bands and trade unions for a living, and who, for that reason, rents an apartment to a Polish family.

One day, Alma is given an assignment requiring empathy and creativity: to make a carpet which will be displayed as part of an exhibition for the anniversary of the constitution and which should focus on the 100th anniversary of women being given the right to vote. Alma is flattered and accepts, but soon wonders if she's in over her head. Where should she begin?

AUTHOR:

VIGDIS HJORTH TITLE ENGLISH:

A NORWEGIAN HOUSE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

ET NORSK HUS FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 192 pages

When, at the same time, she enters into a conflict with her Polish tenants, Alma's perception of herself as a good Norwegian feminist is challenged and she finds that her very existence is on shaky ground.

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

BULGARIA (Aviana Eood) FRANCE (Les Belles Lettres) GERMANY (Osburg Verlag)

Et norsk hus is a novel about the joy of creating and gaining recognition and the despair in realising that this recognition is difficult to translate to reality. So is it really worth it?

PHOTO: FOTO CF-WESENBERG/KOLONIHAVEN.NO

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A Norwegian log cabin plays one of the main roles in Vigdis Hjorth's new novel. What does it mean to own a house or land, to look after it and rent it out?

Vigdis Hjorth (1959–) has made an exciting literary career and has written many popular books for both children and adults. Today she is an awardwinning author and one of Norway's most interesting, contemporary writers.

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‘... a great novel that is plausible and realistic, but which has a metaphoric potential that the author cleverly never points out.’ DAG OG TID

‘Vigdis Hjorth has never been afraid of the banal or clichéd. She also has an uncanny ability to write through the hackneyed and stereotypical to something more painfully existential. This is one of the reasons that I am becoming more and more appreciative of her authorship. ... An important book about the dilemmas facing us all, about the relationship between what is familiar and strange and about Norwegian self-awareness.’ AFTENPOSTEN

‘Just as profound, existential and original as always. ... As always when I read Hjorth, it strikes me how deeply she thinks. And how elegant and original she is in her formulation of these thoughts.’ DAGBLADET

‘I don't know how she does it, but I must say I'm impressed. Vigdis Hjorth always has her finger on the pulse of Norwegian society. ... There is a fire in everything she writes – a fire that Alma in this novel thinks must smoulder in young souls – and I think that Vigdis Hjorth gets older and wiser and younger and more passionate with every book she writes.’ NRK.NO

‘A great book about the distance between ideals and everyday challenges.’ TRØNDER-AVISA

‘Hjorth unmasks us again, this time in a novel about inequality in the world's richest country. Pressing questions and a prism of today's Norway.’ KLASSEKAMPEN

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NOVELS

THE INVISIBLE Again, Roy Jacobsen has written a novel about an unlikely heroine, and he does it better than ever before. De usynlige is a monument over human courage and life-saving practical and social knowledge. The novel is set in the first half of the 20th Century on an island on the North-Western coast of Norway. The island is small, there is only space for the Barrøy family. Life on the island is difficult. The Barrøy family is poor, but certainly not without guts and skills. They live off of their small land, they have some livestock, they fish in the sea and make use of whatever the waves wash ashore.

AUTHOR:

ROY JACOBSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

THE INVISIBLE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

DE USYNLIGE

Jacobsen's descriptions of man and nature are breathtaking. There is plenty of light here, even humor. The family's daily work is a balancing act between refining the riches that wild nature so generously offers, and surviving in the very same wild nature that takes lives. The family's love for their environment is brilliantly communicated. A life somewhere else is unthinkable to them.

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 256 pages RIGHTS SOLD TO:

ALBANIA (Shkupi) AZERBAIJAN (Qanun Publishing House) CZECH REPUBLIC (Pistorius & Olanská) DENMARK (Rosinante&Co) ESTONIA (Eesti Raamat) FAROE ISLANDS (Sprotin Forlag) GERMANY (Osburg Verlag) ISRAEL (Keter Books) ITALY (Bompiani) SWEDEN (Norstedts) TURKEY (Yapi Kredi) UK (MacLehose Press)

De usynlige is inspired by real people, who Jacobsen knew in his childhood. It is a family saga, and a coming-of-age story about Ingrid. It can also be labeled a Robinsonade. ‘De usynlige is a modern masterpiece about poverty in Norway. … Roy Jacobsen's new book will remain a central novel in Norwegian literature. … Hardly any Norwegian author is capable of creating these oppositions in such a powerful language, nothing short of the best within saga literature and in Jewish and Greek narrative art.’ KLASSEKAMPEN

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

Roy Jacobsen (1954–) has since his literary début in 1982 with the short story

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collection Fangeliv evolved into an original, strong and analytical writer with a special interest in the underlying psychology at play in human relationships and actions. He is a wonderful storyteller with obvious political engagement. He has twice been nominated for the Nordic Council's Literary Award: for Seierherrene in 1991, and Frost in 2003. He was also short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2009 for his novel Hoggerne. His books are translated into 29 languages.

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‘In De usynlige Roy Jacobsen shows us why he is one of our most important authors. … Jacobsen returns to his childhood's northern paradise, and writes with an enormous experience and great energy. The literary giant lets out the pressure in small portions. … Jacobsen must have done extensive research in order to write this novel. He shines with his knowledge about working methods, types of weather, the fisherman's many secrets, how to make the most of the forces of nature. The many small nods to Knut Hamsun are easily traceable. … This is a terrific novel. The level of precision is joyous, the language poetic. Roy Jacobsen stays in top form. He has the observational skills and the abilities to tell the truth about the human being. The result is great art.’ VÅRT LAND

‘This is simply a beautiful and moving read, an effortless alternation between small events between people and the great, dramatic ones – like the descriptions of storm and wind and wild weather. … Not only does Roy Jacobsen make his fine characters visible – forever – he makes the reader wiser. A master's hand turning the small into the great.’ VG

‘... Roy Jacobsen at his very best. ... De usynlige is simply a fantastic novel.’ DAGBLADET

‘... a novel that stands out among the rest. It has what it takes to become a hit on the more traditional side of this autumn's publications.’ DAGENS NÆRINGSLIV

‘Equipped with a playful and subtly changing omniscient narrator, Jacobsen moves in and out of the various family members and gives each and every one a quivering presence in the text … Roy Jacobsen's new novel is simply literature of a high class.’ AFTENPOSTEN

‘… with a great vision and wisdom Jacobsen rolls out an unsheltered drama on barren land.’ ADRESSEAVISEN

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NOVELS

CHASM A big new novel by Lars Saabye Christensen: it contains brilliant stories from a summer in Oslo in the 60s and a nightmarish period spent in Karmack, a small North American town. The link is Funder, the protagonist, whose loyalty is tested when, at the age of fifteen, he stays alone with his mother (and, on and off, four aunts) for a summer spent in a house on Nesodden near Oslo. In the second half of the novel, Funder is admitted for treatment to an institution in the United States. By then, he is almost sixty years old, his father has just died and his mother is on her deathbed. Funder, who has become an author, is far from happy.

AUTHOR:

LARS SAABYE CHRISTENSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

CHASM

Sluk is a sharp and entertaining novel which is consistent with the author's earlier work but also shows new sides to his talent.

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SLUK

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 416 pages

‘I have rarely read a more poetical, elegant and original biography of an author. It is entertaining as well – and with an epilogue so intense, heavy with existence, authentic and beautiful that it simply knocks me out.’

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

BULGARIA (Vessela Lutskanora) DENMARK (C & K) GERMANY (btb) POLAND (Wydawnictwo Literackie) RUSSIA (Azbooka-Atticus)

DAGBLADET

‘Sluk is a novel based on equal parts of poetic aggression and the joy of story-telling. An autobiographical novel which you cannot possibly be unaffected by.’ VG

‘A master of repetition … Lars Saabye Christensen presents an offer Norwegian book lovers cannot refuse. It starts as an echo and ends as an unbeatable masterpiece.’

PHOTO: HANS JØRGEN BRUN

AFTENPOSTEN

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Lars Saabye Christensen (1953–) made his literary début in 1976 with Historien om Gly. His break-through novel was Beatles, which is one of the greatest literary successes in Norway and which continues to speak to new generations. He received both the Book Seller's Prize and the Nordic Council's Literary Award for the novel Halvbroren in 2001. This novel also marked his break-through to the international market. His works are translated into 35 languages.

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‘… one of the best novels from Christensen.’ BERGENS TIDENDE

‘… a beautiful homage to the housewives of the sixties, and a sort of wrapped reminder of what actually means something in this world … a successful novel, and an especially beautiful depiction of a mother's love.’ DAGSAVISEN

‘… simply brilliant.’ VÅRT LAND

‘A tender, sad and beautiful book about death, guilt and reconciliation. … Possibly his strongest and best book since The Half Brother.’ ADRESSEAVISEN

‘This book can be understood in so many different ways and offers such an exceptional reading experience which this reader, for one, would not have missed.’ TRØNDER-AVISA

‘The new novel, Sluk, more than measures up to our expectations. The author is even better than before.’ NRK P2

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NOVELS

TAKING STOCK There were those who thought that Nina Faber should have won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in the 1970s. In her own careful way she was a fine poet, but never sufficiently able to find the rhythm of the forced political times; when others wrote about Mao, Nina wrote about marsh helleborine, the pattern in the wings of the dragonfly and about the weather in cities she had never been to. Nina is an ageing poet. Thanks to an award she has spent the past few years in Istanbul, where she completed her most recent poetry collection, entitled ‘Bosporos'. Back in Oslo she settles in a cottage in Sogn allotment garden and awakes early, on the day that will come to be her last. She waits for the editor to call and share the good reviews. But it doesn't happen. Everything falls through, so Nina decides to take revenge.

AUTHOR:

ERLEND LOE TITLE ENGLISH:

TAKING STOCK TITLE NORWEGIAN:

VAREOPPTELLING FORMAT:

125x194 mm / 136 pages

Erlend Loe writes humorously and ironically about publishing procedures, the mature woman's meeting with a new age, and about how much anger and bile there is in a woman of a certain age, spectacularly revealed when she makes the decision to take matters into her own hands.

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

DENMARK (Gyldendal) RUSSIA (Azbooka-Atticus) SERBIA (Geopoetika) SLOVAKIA (Premedia) SWEDEN (Alfabeta)

‘The novel Vareopptelling by Erlend Loe instantly reminds us all of the author's obvious qualities. He is funny! Who but Loe would have cared to write about a lactose-intolerant hedgehog? No one, no one at all. Only Erlend Loe.’ NRK

‘Alternating sensitively between rebellion and a feeling of great unease about our culture, Erlend Loe tells the story of a human being who feels that everything fails to be what it should, in her own case and in the world at large. ... The novel is at its best when it describes her general, existential despair.’ DAG OG TID

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

Erlend Loe (1969–) is one of Norway's best-selling authors. He made his literary

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début with Tatt av kvinnen in 1993. His break-through, both in Norway and internationally, came with the publication of his second novel Naiv.Super. in 1996. His 2004 novel Doppler was critically acclaimed for its depiction of the modern man. Erlend Loe also writes books for children, and has had great succsess with the Kurt series.

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NOVELS

‘It has become a narrative brim-full of nerve-tensing humour; sensitive, full of excitement and humbling ... In this tightly organised short novel of less than 130 pages, Loe offers us a dense and detailed introduction to settings, times and to a personality losing its grip, and thus, Vareopptelling becomes an elegant account of the slippery slope into disgrace and breakdown. But, in razor-sharp literary dissections, Loe manages also to turn humiliation into more than a driving force. Although written with a light keyboard touch, Vareopptelling is also a serious analysis of the logic driven by an excessive sense of shame.’ DAGSAVISEN

‘A funny, burlesque and grotesque novel about the poet Nina Faber's intense anger and robust retribution after a cruel review ... According to my own inventory of his writing, Loe has written his best novel since Doppler – both are also comparable in focusing on protagonists above the ordinary Norwegian standard. Recommended!’ ADRESSEAVISEN

‘He picks settings that he pictures with precision, and his funny passages are light-hearted, easy-going and enjoyable. Characterisation is sparse but sharply observed ... The plot sweeps along, told in a lively tone and at a fast tempo, with brilliantly absurd turns of phrase. Towards the end, Loe completely lets go of the reins, with a quite priceless outcome.’ KLASSEKAMPEN

‘It's really great, is Vareopptelling. A darkly funny little story that takes each turns tightly. Concise and suggestive. Stunning finale. Recommended, if you have an afternoon or two to spare.’ UNIVERSITAS

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NOVELS

WHERE THE CLOUDS BEGIN A loving apocalypse. Rannveig Leite Molven debuted in 2012 with the novel Ordet for hva jeg er nå finnes ikke. ‘This little book is flawless’, Ellen Sofie Lauritzen wrote in Dagbladet. This linguistic confidence also shines through in her new novel, Der skyene begynner, a postapocalyptic story about how a young mother and her daughter try to cope with everyday life in the aftermath of what we assume is a natural disaster.

AUTHOR:

RANNVEIG LEITE MOLVEN TITLE ENGLISH:

WHERE THE CLOUDS BEGIN

A world in freefall and people drifting apart are depicted using suggestive, dream-like language. But it is not dark and brutal, quite the opposite. They are depicted with loving intimacy.

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

DER SKYENE BEGYNNER FORMAT:

PHOTO: LARS J. LØTVEDT

130x205 mm / 200 pages

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Rannveig Leite Molven (1974–) studied at The Academy for Creative Writing in Bergen. Ordet for hva jeg er nå finnes ikke (2012) was her first book.

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NOVELS

LIKE A CHILD Sivert Nesbø debuted in 2013 with his novel Skårgangar, which was well received by critics. This spring will see the publication of his second novel, which, although not dissimilar to his debut novel, has a completely different existential concern as its main premiss. The novel starts by telling us about two brothers, still children, who are heading out at dawn. They intend to hunt down criminals, but it quickly becomes clear that the brothers are very different. Whilst the elder is focused and earnest, the younger is more impressionable and aware of his surroundings.

AUTHOR:

SIVERT N. NESBØ

However, in Sivert Nesbø's books, we never keep the same narrator for long. We get to hear the family's story from several perspectives. First we meet the father, Lars, and then the mother, Ingrid. It transpires that they have lost a daughter who was born some time between the elder and younger brother, and this has affected them so profoundly that they sometimes almost cannot cope.

TITLE ENGLISH:

LIKE A CHILD

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SOM EIT BARN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 80 pages

Sivert N. Nesbø (1982–) lives in Bergen. He studied at the Academy for Creative Writing in Bergen, and is one of the writers represented in the anthology Signaler 2011. Skårganger (2013) was his first book.

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PHOTO: MAGNE SANDNES

This manifests in several ways. It is only the elder son who knows what happened, whereas the younger son has no idea why the atmosphere at home is so changeable. Sivert Nesbø uses uniquely poetic language that lifts these lowly lives to something greater and shows how appreciative we are of nature.

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NOVELS

OUR WORLD IS DEW When Tarak loses his mother to the feared sorrow eaters and his father disappears soon afterwards, he is looked after by his grandfather, Elmer, who teaches him to make shadow birds and tell stories. When Tarak turns fourteen, he leaves Ulu and sets out into the great wide world. On his travels he learns a lot about love and responsibility and what it is to be 'human'. And in the course of his life he becomes an important pawn in the fight between good and evil. AUTHOR:

TOR ÅGE BRINGSVÆRD

Tor Åge Bringsværd calls forth a world which is strange to us. A world where people make up only a small minority dominated by other races. Where scrap metal is the most valuable commodity and the desire for oblivion keeps people in check.

TITLE ENGLISH:

OUR WORLD IS DEW TITLE NORWEGIAN:

VÅR VERDEN ER DUGG FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 352 pages

This is a delightful and fanciful fable kept alive by great stories and words. An exciting and gripping tale of what it is to be human. ‘Vår verden er dugg is a gift for those who want their books to write our world and ways of living and thinking into a broader context… Bringsværd lets Tarak's educational journey show us the dangers of the world we live in. It's also a joyous novel, rich in colours, hope and destruction. And the language! Who wouldn't want to climb an ike and have a tame kirrrva as a companion? The novel also shows the value of seeing things from the clown's perspective. It is not always a bad idea to turn the world on its head.’ VÅRT LAND

Vår verden er dugg can be read as a classic educational tale with several elements that are critical of society and civilisation.’

PHOTO: JOHANNA SIRING

AFTENPOSTEN

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Tor Åge Bringsværd (1939–) has received many awards, as a writer and as

a playwright. His works have been translated into 23 languages and his theatrical works have been staged in twelve countries. Bringsværd writes for all ages.

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NOVELS

KRØ Krø is a neo-gothic horror novel about Adam, an orphan exjunkie with a family, permanent job and White World – a selfdeveloped 3D programme he can hide inside when life gets tough. One day Adam receives a letter. His grandfather, Ingvald, is at death's door and wants him to travel to Krø, a windswept island off the west coast. Adam travels from the safety of Oslo to this godforsaken island against his will. Adam discovers that Krø plays host to more than loneliness and a broken family. Why are the locals so hostile? What's behind the secret door in the basement? Who is the figure constantly pursuing him in White World? Soon Adam faces the greatest question of all: how far are you willing to go to save the ones you love?

AUTHOR:

DIDRIK MORITS HALLSTRØM TITLE NORWEGIAN:

KRØ

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 216 pages

‘Insidious thriller about a city boy who travels to the windswept west coast. Everyday lives from the pen of a dark, gothic creator of universes.’

Didrik Morits Hallstrøm (1984–) comes from Ekeberg in Oslo. Before he left the city, he worked as a DJ, model and fitness instructor. Now, he lives in Volda, where he manages his own design and advertising company.

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PHOTO: STEPHEN BUTKUS

KLASSEKAMPEN

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NOVELS

ADA Winner of the Riksmål Society Literature Prize 2014 It's 1955. A young man named Paul comes to a little island community in the far north of Norway to be a substitute teacher for a year. Ada is a cleaner at the school and mother to a girl in the class he teaches. Ada was born with a large and disfiguring birth mark which she tries to hide by always wearing a headscarf. Little by little Paul gets to know Ada and her daughter. He helps them with herding sheep and ploughing on their little farm. Paul is attracted to Ada despite her appearance, and even though she is several years older than him. He is able to see another Ada behind the veil, a strong and remarkable woman, and for this reason she is beautiful to him. He finally manages to break through her shyness. He sees her without her headscarf and they start a relationship that they have to hide from everyone.

AUTHOR:

ODD KLIPPENVÅG TITLE ENGLISH:

ADA

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

ADA

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 160 pages

Many years later, he is retired and on a car trip in the same area with his much younger wife, who he hasn't told anything about his past.

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

BULGARIA (Aviana Food)

Ada is a moving novel set in the magnificent landscape of Northern Norway. A classic love story about a mismatched couple, fate and nature, profundity and superficiality, despair and shame. ‘Gripping, believable, beautiful.’

PHOTO: LILLIAN HJELLUM/FOTOGRAFENE LILLIAN & LENA

LOFOTPOSTEN

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‘Depiction of both the characters and environment is great. Klippenvåg uses his own local knowledge and paints a vivid picture of Lofoten. We envision the small, roadless, rural community and its beautiful surroundings where everyone looks after and watches each other. The quality of the novel is primarily due to the language. Klippenvåg uses very polished and eloquent language.’ NORDLYS

Odd Klippenvåg (1951–) made his literary début with the novel Nattbilde in 1978. He has since published several novels and short story collections, some of which focus on homosexuality. Klippenvåg is a critically acclaimed writer whose work is of a rare literary quality.

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NOVELS

ICE SCORCH Knut and Sissel, a couple in their forties, move from a city in Eastern Norway to a smallholding in Western Norway to start a new and more natural life. Knut's great dream is to live as one with animals and nature. Physical labour and closeness to nature will make him stronger in body and mind. However, he also has to take a part-time job in the municipality's building and planning department to earn a living. And, as it turns out, it's not that easy to run a farm using old methods such as a horse and cart. Not least the water freezing in the winter poses a challenge. Slowly but surely the problems in Knut and Sissel's relationship float to the surface: Knut has a daughter from a previous relationship and doesn't want more children, but Sissel's biological clock is ticking.

AUTHOR:

KJERSTI KOLLBOTN TITLE ENGLISH:

ICE SCORCH

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

ISBRANN

Kjersti Kollbotn's story of two people's struggle to find their place in the world is unsentimental yet insightful.

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 224 pages

‘Kollbotn is exploring a serious theme. She does not only point out that men are also bullied, downtrodden and that they also feel excluded in today's society, she follows the main character and paints a convincing and apparently truthful picture of him. Kjersti Kollbotn has once again succeeded in making way for new insight into how complex cohabitation and relationships between men and women can be – even from a man's point of view.’ NORDLYS

‘Kjersti Kollbotn writes well and precisely. She understands her material and its environment, the mentality of the people and the nature in a west-coast village.’

Kjersti Kollbotn (1959–) is from Nordfjord and lives in Tromsø. She has a doctorate in Engineering from NTNU. Eg er mamma. Eg skal vere god. (2009) was her first publication.

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PHOTO: MARIE HAUGEN / CAPPELEN DAMM

DAG OG TID

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NOVELS

GERMANY The plot in Tyskland takes place in Norway during the Second World War, where we meet Hanna, a girl with a limited understanding of the world. She goes on a journey to find her sister, who she believes is in Germany. It is with a finely-tuned sense of human vulnerability that Mossige takes us into a world seen only through Hanna's eyes, where we are guided by her dreams and desires. A wilful and fascinating novel reminiscent of the work of Flannery O'Conner and William Faulkner. AUTHOR:

LIV MOSSIGE

Tyskland is a strong and distinctive debut with the ability and willingness to take a close look at human life.

TITLE ENGLISH:

GERMANY

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

TYSKLAND

‘Tyskland is solidly composed, but most of all it is the language that makes it a memorable reading experience. It is in the lyrical passages and dialogues that we gain insight into human vulnerability, stunted communication and efforts to fit into a world where even what is safe falters in smouldering ashes.’

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 208 pages

KLASSEKAMPEN

‘Tyskland is in all ways a solid debut novel and contains passages of high intensity. Just like with its characters and their abrupt dialogues, it knows to be silent when necessary.’

PHOTO: BLUNDERBUSS / ANNA-JULIA GRANBERG

DAGENS NÆRINGSLIV

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Liv Mossige (1978–) is from Akershus and lives in Oslo. She works as a lecturer and writes book reviews for the newspaper Dagsavisen. Tyskland is her first book.

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NOVELS

THE CYCLIST SYKLISTEN

Gustav Fenge works as a teacher, and rather enjoys it. But he really wants to spend all his time with his son, Sander, and wife, Rebekka. Then one summer's day he witnesses his son's death. And without his beloved son, Gustav is nothing. Gustav Fenge cycles. He can't be doing with anything else. Tragedy has led him out onto the country roads. His wife doesn't want anything more to do with him after their son dies. Gustav drinks heavily, loses his job and eventually ends up in a psychiatric institution. He breaks under the weight of his grief. But on his bike, he slowly comes back to himself. He embarks on a long and ambitious cycling trip through Southern Norway. His destination is his childhood paradise, Trondheim.

AUTHOR:

AKSEL SELMER FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 208 pages

‘... a story that just gets better and better the more you read. ... I like his short, readable sentences. His almost lyrical prose dresses up the melancholy in the story.’ GUDBRANDSDØLEN DAGNINGEN

GUARDIAN OF THE GATE BOMVOKTEREN

Bomvokteren is the tale of a young girl who inherits the job of gate guardian when her grandfather grows older and falls ill. The job involves watching the gate at a mountain pass, and the girl must live alone in a miserable cabin at the side of the road. ‘Norwegian Aksel Selmer surprises with a story about the conditions for goodness in an evil world that is equal parts beautiful, strange and grim. This is outstanding.’

AUTHOR:

AKSEL SELMER

JYLLANDSPOSTEN

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 168 pages Aksel Selmer (1958–) made his literary début with a poetry collection called

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

Hit skulle det ha kommet noen flere in 1992. Since then he has had another collection of poetry published, as well as ten novels for adults and young people.

DENMARK (Jensen & Dalgaard)

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NOVELS

OUT OF THE FIRE The protagonist in Ambjørnsen's new novel is Alexander Irgens, Norway's king of crime, who has a large part of the international crime fiction audience falling at his feet with his series about Stig Hammer. His seventh novel, Høye mørke menn, is launched in grand style at the literature festival in Lillehammer, where the great Author is coddled by a female-dominated industry that just wants to interview and feed him. Irgens is married with a son, but he's in Lillehammer with his mistress, Vilde, a volatile woman who thinks both he and his violent crime writing receive a ridiculous amount of attention. Whereas most people flatter and fuss over him, she's only too willing to hit where it hurts when he oversteps the mark.

AUTHOR:

INGVAR AMBJØRNSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

OUT OF THE FIRE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

Ut av ilden is an exciting and enjoyable portrayal of the publishing industry which addresses the increasing brutality required to satiate an audience. But fundamentally it is a novel about shame and an author who knows his life has taken a downward turn and that he has not been true to himself.

UT AV ILDEN FORMAT:

PHOTO: TINE POPPE

130x205 mm / 360 pages

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Ingvar Ambjørnsen (1956–) is considered to be one of the great storytellers of contemporary Norwegian literature. Since his literary début in 1981 Ambjørnsen has written 21 novels and five collections of short stories, as well as essay collections and several books for children and youth. He has won a number of awards, including the Riverton Prize, the Brage Award, the Booksellers' Award and the Riksmål Prize. His works are sold to 28 countries. Many of them have been adapted into films with great success.

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NOVELS

‘What starts as relatively harmless ridicule becomes sharp criticism with a shocking sting of an ending. … Ingvar Ambjørnsen has put his heart into the details – into the lovely little everyday considerations and a wealth of succinct dialogue.’ NRK P2

‘Sharp, poetic and entertaining. An impressive balancing act from an author in a similar situation. … It is the mix of social criticism and existential seriousness which give this novel sense of gravity and literary power. Here Ingvar Ambjørnsen shows his prowess as an author.’ DAGSAVISEN

‘The puzzle that is Alexander Irgens is laid out, and in this regard, Ut av ilden is a riveting, disturbing, unpleasant yet great novel. … The nostalgic imagery conjured by Irgens' narrative voice is something few do more beautifully or effortlessly than Ambjørnsen. …when it comes to writing chilling descriptions of people – the good and the bad – and their unpredictable actions, Ambjørnsen is still a master.’ AFTENPOSTEN

‘Ut av ilden is not just a thoroughly entertaining novel about our own literary circus tent, it is also a story about a man – coincidentally, a successful author – who is intoxicated and blinded by his own greatness, and who is deceitful and weak-minded when it comes to those around him. This picture of “the author as a stupid man” is both pointed and cutting – Ambjørnsen makes poetry of bombastic pathos when necessary.’ BERGENS TIDENDE

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NOVELS

AS THE TREE FALLS A farmhand comes to one of the big farms in Finnskogen, Valkola, and steals the aging Valborg’s heart. Across the ocean, Amy finds a friend among the Native Americans. This new friend has a brother she also meets. Nils and Elin, who now live in Oslo, dream about the smallholding they’re going to buy. Will their dream ever become reality? Daniel, Taneli and Lina’s son, who once dreamt of seeing his homeland and Finnskogen again, falls ill aboard the ship from America. The god child is still waiting for Karin with the beautiful voice to come home from America.

WINNER OF THE DOBLOUG PRIZE

AUTHOR:

BRITT KARIN LARSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

The plot in Britt Karin Larsen’s Slik treet faller switches between those who emigrated to America and the remaining Forest Finns in Kristiania and Finnskogen. In this novel, the seventh in the series, events move up to the Second World War, when the Forest Finns are hit just as hard as the rest of Norway. Many of those growing up in Finnskogen are living in poverty, and things don’t get any better when most of them turn to communism and are therefore not allowed to work.

AS THE TREE FALLS TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SLIK TREET FALLER FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 494 pages

PHOTO: SIGRID HELENE SVENDSEN

It is perhaps in portraying the strength and solidarity possessed by these distinguished and vulnerable people that Britt Karin Larsen shows her greatness as an author.

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Britt Karin Larsen (1945–) lives in Hedmark. She has written poetry, books for children, documentary books and novels. Her first published work was the 1978 collection of poetry 5 mg blues og andre dikt. She regards her Gypsy trilogy as her main work to date: De som ser etter tegn (1997), Den usynlige by (1998) and Sangen om løpende hester (1999).

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‘Beautiful, poetic and magnificent.’ VG

‘Most of all, it is the intimate details that draw us in. Here you will find love and jealousy, longing and sorrow, and most of all destiny. ... The novel is a mosaic of short episodes that together constitute a great drama of destiny about small yet strong people in the mighty and merciless maelstrom of time that will not stop for anything or anyone.’ DAG OG TID

‘What is most compelling is how she manages to maintain the action without any deadlocks, especially with a huge cast of characters that are always developing. ... Her novels are about mankind’s longing to fit in even though the urge to withdraw is just as strong. And it is in the tension between these forces that this wide-ranging family chronicle evolves.’ HAMAR ARBEIDERBLAD

‘This is classic storytelling from the heart and mind, using a poetic language that gives literary lift.’ DAGSAVISEN

‘Poetic and beautiful … Britt Karin Larsen’s very personal and lyrical language sets her apart from other Norwegian writers.’ VG ABOUT SOM STEINEN SKINNER

‘Fantastic stories from Finnskogen. Himmelbjørnens skog is an unexpectedly rich and earthy tale, crudely expressed and yet sophisticated. Superb!’ ADRESSEAVISEN ABOUT HIMMELBJØRNENS SKOG

‘Britt Karin Larsen’s prose is sheer poetry and she has a great capacity for engagement.’ WERMLANDIA, SWEDEN, ABOUT DET VOKSER ET TRE I MOSTAMÄGG

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NOVELS

THE GOOSEBERRY SISTERS Sisters Marilyn and Marlene are named after Hollywood stars, but that is where the similarity ends. Marlene is the one with a handle on her life – everything from fashion and her home to her life partner and ovulation. All the same, it is the enchanting 'My' who finds it easier to make friends – and have children. But now it is My that we feel sorry for, as she has lost both her husband and her home – not to mention her self-confidence.

AUTHOR:

SIRI ØSTLI TITLE ENGLISH:

THE GOOSEBERRY SISTERS TITLE NORWEGIAN:

STIKKELSBÆRSØSTRE

‘Is she Norway’s new queen of feel-good? … Now, bestseller mechanisms are unpredictable and sometimes somewhat difficult to understand. But Østli is just as good as Anne B. Ragde. This is bulls eye.’

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 320 pages

DAGBLADET ABOUT DET SØTE LIV

‘Siri Østli’s writing is better than Marian Keyes’s in translation. … Østli can write just as entertainingly about city and countryside, eastern and western settings. This is ‘feel-good’, through and through.’

PHOTO: SIGRID HELENE SVENDSEN

BERGENSAVISEN ABOUT DET SØTE LIV

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Siri Østli is married with five daughters and a university degree in French,

Russian and Psychology. She debuted with her first 'feel good' novel, På høye hæler over Grønland, in 2009, and has since then received excellent reviews for her novels Det søte liv (2011) and Pikekyss og djevelkake (2014).

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CRIME NOVELS

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CRIME NOVELS

BRANDED The fifth novel about police detective Elli Sunee Rathke provides hard-hitting police action from Bangkok. It introduces completely new aspects of Elli's family background. She has a Thai mother and a Norwegian father, but hints about her life in a broader sense are just as important. Elli's partner Jan Nereng also develops as a character. This novel offers a thrilling journey through the underworld of Bangkok – motorcycle gangs, brothels in Patpong – and not least a journey through Elli's own family history.

AUTHOR:

EYSTEIN HANSSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

BRANDED

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

‘To make use of a well-used cliché: Brennemerket is one hell of a ride!’

BRENNEMERKET FORMAT:

DEMOKRATEN

130x205 mm / 344 pages

‘All in all, Brennemerket is action in grand style from an author who is becoming increasingly confident.’ HAMAR ARBEIDERBLAD

‘Unscrupulous pimping, money laundering, corruption and other irregular practices rolled up into a series of colourful and precisely rendered scenes that show that the author, as well as having extensive knowledge of external societal structures, is also aware of the underlying mentality of what is traditionally described as the land of smiles.’

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

AFTENPOSTEN

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Eystein Hanssen (1965–) portions out his time between writing books, working on film projects and PR tasks. His first work of fiction De ingen savner came out in 2010 and his next book Giftstrøm the following year. Both books were nominated for the Booksellers' Prize. Triangel was published in 2012, and his fourth novel in the series about investigator Elli Rathke, Åtseldyr, was published in 2013.

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Rights sold to: Germany (Aufbau Verlag)

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Rights sold to: Germany (Aufbau Verlag)

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CRIME NOVELS

THE SUN GOD The thriller Solguden is a standalone follow-up to Ole Kristian Ellingsen's critically-acclaimed crime debut, Frikjent, which was published in 2014. The main characters are still freelance TV reporter Erik Engum and librarian Rakel Maier. The story is told in the present and starts on Melkøya in Finnmark, where the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg is launching a magnificent energy venture in collaboration with Statoil and an idealistic, African biofuel company that wants to provide local farmers with work and an income.

AUTHOR:

OLE KRISTIAN ELLINGSEN

During a trip to Zimbabwe for a news report, Erik Engum happens to discover that the Norwegian head of this company is staying in a luxury safari lodge along with corrupt politicians, scantilyclad women and disreputable businessmen. He suspects that the company has completely different intentions for the Norway collaboration than what the Norwegian government has been led to believe.

TITLE ENGLISH:

THE SUN GOD

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SOLGUDEN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 384 pages

Together with a couple of African associates, Erik Engum and Rakel Maier finally expose how Norwegian gullibility and oil wealth is being exploited with a cynical fraud involving both well known heads of state and powerful, white traffickers – Africa's real masters. Rakel and Erik's relationship is also under threat from other quarters. This novel is ficticious, but based on thought-provoking facts from a little known reality. ‘Brilliant thriller about dark secrets among this nation’s heroes.’ STAVANGER AFTENBLAD ABOUT FRIKJENT

‘A conspiracy novel which succeeds well in shedding light over actual events during the war.’

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

BERGENS TIDENDE ABOUT FRIKJENT

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Ole Kristian Ellingsen (1952–) works as a writer for the advertising agency McCann. Frikjent (2014) was his first book.

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CRIME NOVELS

EVERYTHING WILL BE HIDDEN IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS In 1924, the Norwegian government was forced to enter into a secret agreement giving the Soviet Union control of Svalbard in 2020. But this document soon went missing under unclear circumstances, and the agreement was forgotten. It resurfaces more than ninety years later, in a time when Europe is standing against an agressive Russia that wants to be a superpower in the far north of the world. The Russian president implements a comprehensive plan to undermine Norwegian sovereignty in Svalbard. The battle for the Arctic gains a new dimension, and drama unfolds in Longyearbyen.

AUTHOR:

PER ARNE TOTLAND TITLE ENGLISH:

EVERYTHING WILL BE HIDDEN IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS TITLE NORWEGIAN:

OM HUNDRE ÅR ER ALLTING GJEMT FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 480 pages

Om hundre år er allting gjemt is an international thriller that reflects the political conflict that already existed when the Svalbard Treaty was entered into in 1920 and that may flare up again as the eyes of the world look to the Arctic.

Per Arne Totland (1958–) has been a newspaper reporter, a reporter for Norwegian Broadcasting, director of a global construction company and manager of a consultancy agency. He is now an independent adviser to top business managers.

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CRIME NOVELS

CERTAIN SIGNS OF YOUR DEATH In Akershus University Hospital, a patient disappears. In the evening, his body is found in a basement box-room with its throat cut. When retired forensic pathologist Jennifer Plåterud is called in to examine the dead man, she has no idea of how closely she is involved in the murder herself. In the merciless light of summer, she is gradually forced to grasp the connections she would have preferred to ignore. AUTHOR:

TORKIL DAMHAUG

This is a psychologically tense, closed-room crime story set in a hospital, but with links to the Balkan wars in the 1990s, the Rosengård gangs in the Swedish city of Malmö and Torkil Damhaug's own world of characters from the Romerike district near Oslo.

TITLE ENGLISH:

CERTAIN SIGNS OF YOUR DEATH TITLE NORWEGIAN:

SIKRE TEGN PÅ DIN DØD FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 416 pages

With Sikre tegn på din død Damhaug has completed his planned quartet of psychological thrillers, each book set in a different season. He won the Riverton Prize for the third book in the quartet; Ildmannen.

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

DENMARK (Modtryk) GERMANY (Droemer Knaur) UNITED KINGDOM (Headline)

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

WINNER OF THE RIVERTON PRIZE

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Torkil Damhaug (1958–) has a degree in medicine with a specialization in

psychiatry. He has published seven novels, the three latest have been successful crime novels. His crime novels are translated into eleven languages.

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CRIME NOVELS

‘Sophisticated and well-integrated 'gourmet crime' from Damhaug with a plot which spans nations, all sewn together with surgical precision.’ VG

‘Convoluted murder mosaic reaching out through time and space.’ STAVANGER AFTENBLAD

‘Great crime writing from Riverton prize winner Damhaug ... Sikre tegn på din død is a brilliant new psychological crime novel from someone who knows their craft and has taken their research seriously.’ FÆDRELANDSVENNEN

‘A thoughtful thriller … Damhaug fires an adrenaline-inducing starting gun, and then all you can do is sit back and follow it around the bends of intelligent intrigue and through a number of destinies which in addition to many other things embody the complexity of a new, multicultural Norway. ... overall a superior thriller, boosted by Marius Renberg's exceptionally indulgent and imaginative cover design.’ AFTENPOSTEN

‘More than a thriller … Torkil Damhaug is an ambitious author, he wants to do more than just tell a readable story.’ AKTUELL

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CRIME NOVELS

HELLFIRE A rusty old caravan sits in a forest grove. The door is open and a four or five year old child lies inside. The child's body has been chopped into pieces and is nearly drained of blood. An adult woman, presumably the child's mother, lies on a sofa, also stabbed to death. This is brutal even for Konrad Sejer. The deceased are Connie, who works as home help for the elderly, and Simon, her son. There are many characters in this book, but the central figures are Connie and Simon as well as Mamma Mass and her 21-year old son Eddie. Both are single mothers not in contact with the fathers of their children. As Connie works as home help, we also encounter many other people and their destinies in the homes she visits. The author switches deftly between chapters set in 2004 and chapters set in 2005, or rather, before and after the murders. This increases the tension, and the reader is able to participate in solving the mystery of who the killer is. There are many clues leading in different directions.

AUTHOR:

KARIN FOSSUM TITLE ENGLISH:

HELLFIRE

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

HELVETESILDEN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 256 pages RIGHTS SOLD TO:

Helvetesilden deals with topics such as poverty in a wealthy Norway, the situation of the elderly and the absence of a father. But above all it makes for very exciting reading.

DENMARK (Gyldendal) ESTONIA (Eesti Raamat) SWEDEN (Forum) UNITED KINGDOM (Harvill Secker) UNITED STATES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

‘Helvetesilden is one of Karin Fossum's best crime stories. … In her writing, Fossum expertly captures the nuances of everyday life and the way in which living people struggle to make sense of life. She does it with a subdued tone and an unwavering dedication to her characters. … In Helvetesilden, the story approaches a point which is heartbreaking rather than thrilling. This novel shows that Karin Fossum is in a class of her own as a crime writer.’ DAGSAVISEN

PHOTO: ARILD SØNSTRØD

Karin Fossum (1954–) made her literary début in 1974 with the poetry

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collection Kanskje i morgen, for which she won the Vesaas First Writer's Award. She has published books in several genres, but is perhaps best known for her crime fiction about Konrad Sejer. Several of her books have been filmed. She has received a number of prestigious awards, including an LA Times Book Award for her novel Elskede Poona. Karin Fossum's books are translated into 34 languages.

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CRIME NOVELS ‘Here she delivers what must be one of her most penetrating and moving novels. An author at the height of her creative ability. … The composition is almost a stroke of genius in itself, as for a long time we are at a complete loss as to how Fossum intends to fuse the parallel storylines. … The way she does it demonstrates both her mastery of her trade and her formidable ability to portray tormented minds without diminishing them through inconsequential platitudes about insanity and other dissociative diagnoses.’ AFTENPOSTEN

‘The opening scene showcases Fossum at her best – the dank camper van, the heat and the brutal murders. The detailed, subdued tone; the grotesque in the middle of the everyday.’ DAGBLADET

‘A really high-grade crime novel should delve deep into human motivation, both that of the main characters and the supporting characters, so that the hero and antagonist are not merely presented in black and white. And not least, the language should be functional, precise and efficient. There are not many people who write like this within the extensive crime genre. Karin Fossum is one of few who can. She writes high-quality crime of the best, international standard. She has now focused her attention on a novel which, in my opinion, has to be one of her very best. It is called Helvetesilden. So disturbing, riveting and painful that you can't help but be drawn in.’ TØNSBERGS BLAD

‘And just like Ibsen, Fossum's use of language is beautiful – precise, expertly calling to mind images without ever employing a single superfluous word… it is a sheer joy to reunite with old companions Sejer and Skarre ... Their best attributes are put to the test, and yet again they pass with flying colours. The same can be said for Karin Fossum.’ DRAMMENS TIDENDE

‘Intricate and surprising.’ VARDEN

‘Karin Fossum is the most literary of the Norwegian crime writers ... The novel is skilfully composed, and several of the characters from Helvetesilden will remain with the reader long after the final page has been turned.’ ADRESSEAVISEN

‘Karin Fossum has mastered the art of describing the exhausting everyday lives of individuals. We come to understand how a monstrous double-murder can occur, and Fossum writes with a wonderful and affectionate eye for detail and the bonds that connect people.’ OPPLAND ARBEIDERBLAD

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CRIME NOVELS

SPAWN OF THE DEVIL In the first book about crime squad investigator Edvard Matre, Av jord er du kommet, Edvard's sweetheart Victoria killed the man who murdered her friend. Edvard helped her to dispose of the body. At the end of the second book, Den blinde guden, Victoria travelled back to Bergen and confessed to the murder. Djevelens barn starts with the case against Victoria being dropped due to lack of evidence. Edvard has so far avoided being fired due to his involvement, but he has been transferred to a new department set up to look into cases of missing child asylum seekers. All Edvard wants is to get his old job as a homicide detective back.

AUTHOR:

CHRIS TVEDT AND ELISABETH GULBRANDSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

One day, a worried young woman comes into his office. A thirteen year old boy has disappeared from the reception where she works and no one seems to care. Against his will, Edvard starts looking into the case, but soon he realises that something is very, very wrong.

SPAWN OF THE DEVIL TITLE NORWEGIAN:

DJEVELENS BARN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 336 pages

In Bergen, Victoria can't live with her guilt. She is obsessed with the idea of finding out the identity of the man she killed. She eventually receives help from recently retired policeman Preben Jordal, who also struggles to put the case from his mind. But finding out more about a murder is not without danger. Just because it's done and buried doesn't mean it's dead …

RIGHTS SOLD TO:

GERMANY (Droemer Knaur)

‘There is little more to say except to congratulate on a smartly completed work ... Superbly exciting and intelligently plotted.’ VG

‘Den blinde guden is Chris Tvedt's second book about DI Edvard Matre. The first one was good, the second one just as good.’ DAGBLADET

Chris Tvedt (1954–) is born in Bergen. In addition to law school he has studied

PHOTO: RUNE NIELSEN

Comparative Literature. In 1988 he started practicing as a lawyer, but is now working as a full-time writer.

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Elisabeth Gulbrandsen (1955–) lives in Bergen. After training as a goldsmith, she later went on to study law. She has since worked for the Hordaland county authority and for the Rafto Foundation, a Bergen-based human rights organisation. She is married to the writer Chris Tvedt.

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CRIME NOVELS ‘This is a story which accelerates immensely. The tensions built into several storylines are tightened at the same time throughout the 92 brisk chapters. Well plotted, elegantly invented and, definitely, no happy end. This will become a TV series, the only question is how soon.’ BERGENS TIDENDE

‘Crime fiction with thriller features and multiple tense, slowly unravelling storylines.’ ADRESSEAVISEN

‘Chris Tvedt and Elisabeth Guldbrandsen occasionally write great passages that are fit to be filmed. The heart-breaking opening scene and the videoed account of the robbery hit the reader where it hurts.’ BERGENSAVISEN

‘Den blinde guden is one of the more believable narratives that have so far emerged out of this autumn's flow of crime fiction. Believability doesn't make any less exciting than everybody else's hunts for serial killers, but rather the opposite.’ DAGSAVISEN

WINNER OF THE RIVERTON PRIZE

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CRIME NOVELS

THE ANTHILL MURDERS In my mind I've been standing here waiting every evening for weeks. But tonight, Monday the 24th of April 1972, is the first time I've actually done it. Of course I've stood waiting for women before, but never out here – and never like this. My watch shows ten to eleven. It's a dark, drizzly night. The rain further increases my excitement. When I left home I still doubted whether I would and could go through with this. AUTHOR:

HANS OLAV LAHLUM

Maurtuemordene is the seventh book about K2 and Patricia. There's a serial killer on the loose in Oslo. Young women are being found strangled in different parts of town. The killer leaves a strange, child-like drawing of an ant next to every body. The first victim is a pretty theology student, the next a somewhat flamboyant jazz singer and then, a heir to one of Norway's largest fortunes. But soon there'll be more. K2 gropes blindly for a link between the victims, but can't find anything other than the obvious – that they've all been murdered. Even Patricia's sharp mind and non-traditional reasoning falls short.

TITLE ENGLISH:

THE ANTHILL MURDERS TITLE NORWEGIAN:

MAURTUEMORDENE FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 432 pages

‘Despite having written many crime novels, he is still to receive the prestigious Riverton Prize for Best Crime Novel of the Year. Maurtuemordene should be one of the candidates for the prize in 2014.’ TVEDESTRANDSPOSTEN

‘Maurtuemordene is a very thoughtful and gripping story where brutality leads the way into a cold society where individuals often cannot find their footing.’

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

GJENGANGEREN

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Hans Olav Lahlum (1973–) is a historian. He made his literary debut with the critically acclaimed biography Oscar Torp in 2007. He has since published 6 crime novels and five non-fiction books. His crime novels have become bestsellers in Norway, and will shortly be available in English and Korean.

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‘You enjoy yourself as the story is unraveled, and you are delighted by cleverly made dead ends. In his epilogue he hints at a possible series, if this novel proves to be a hit. My appeal will be: Write more! Menneskefluene enriches today’s Norwegian crime fiction.’ AFTENPOSTEN ABOUT MENNESKEFLUENE

‘Thorough retro crime fiction … If you like the classical crime novel as it was created by Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, you should immediately go and buy Hans Olav Lahlum’s Satellittmenneskene.’ DAGBLADET ABOUT SATELLITTMENNESKENE

‘The third book of historian Hans Olav Lahlum is so exciting it is impossible to put down.’ FÆDRELANDSVENNEN ABOUT KATALYSATORMORDET

Rights sold to: Denmark, Portugal, South-Korea, UK.

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Rights sold to: SouthKorea, UK.

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CRIME NOVELS

OPERATION HYDRA A young Jewish boy is brutally knocked down and scarred for life outside Ila school in Oslo. The same day, someone sets fire to the house of a prominent but controversial Norwegian politician. A mother of two is killed in the blaze. This is just the prelude to a wave of violent attacks against the Norwegian population. One thing that seems to connect these events is Norway's Middle Eastern politics. Axel Th. Munthe, undercover detective in Oslo police force's special operations department is brought in early in the case. Both he and the security service work hard to combat various different extremist groups, but they find themselves struggling to keep up as things escalate. Finally the threat is directed at the heart of what it is to be Norwegian: the independence day parade on Karl Johan street.

AUTHORS:

SIGBJØRN MOSTUE AND JOHNNY BRENNA TITLE ENGLISH:

OPERATION HYDRA TITLE NORWEGIAN:

OPERASJON HYDRA

Meanwhile, Axel tries to get his regular partner Tobben back on his feet following a personal breakdown. All while the clock is ticking and the decisive hour draws nearer for Axel and the nation of Norway.

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 320 pages

Sigbjørn Mostue (1969–) has a degree in the History of Ideas. He works full time as a writer, having issued two crime novels for adults together with Johnny Brenna. He has also written two fantasy trilogies for middle grade readers.

PHOTO: FREDRIK ARFF

Johnny Brenna (1964–) is Crime Editor at the magazine Alfa. He has previously

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been a consultant on crime issues for TV2 and advised the Conservative (Høyre) parliamentary group on crime policy. He worked in the police force for 20 years, and for 13 of these, he dealt with organised crime. Brenna is one of the leading contributors to the Brage Award-winning documentary study Politi & røver.

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‘Operasjon Hydra is solid literary crime writing in which the authors chase us through the pages. ... The fact that I have decided to read Mostue and Brenna's two first novels also speaks volumes.’ FÆDRELANDSVENNEN

‘Mostue and Brenna write well with great flow and suspense. I can't fault them.’ MOSS AVIS

‘... the book deserves at least five out of six as it has received from most other reviewers. I look forward to a follow-up. The rest of you should keep your fingers crossed for Christmas.’ EIDSVOLL ULLENSAKER BLAD

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CRIME NOVELS

MURDER IN THE STAIRWELL Mord i oppgangen is Jon Øystein Flink's fourth novel and seventh publication. The protagonist in the book is a nameless crime writer living a half dissolute and half predictable life in the capital. He is married and expecting a child with his somewhat more successful VG journalist wife, Kristin. When he finds a body in the stairwell of a friend's building in Oslo city centre, his life changes dramatically and the borders between fiction and reality start to blur. But the nameless protagonist uses all his cunning and imagination to help the somewhat reluctant police force find the murderer.

AUTHOR:

JON ØYSTEIN FLINK TITLE ENGLISH:

MURDER IN THE STAIRWELL TITLE NORWEGIAN:

MORD I OPPGANGEN

Crime was quite possibly the only genre Jon Øystein Flink hadn't got involved with. And considering the success he's had with his other books, it won't come as a surprise that Mord i oppgangen will be both successful and widely discussed. This time, Jon Øystein Flink has written a thrilling crime novel.

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 192 pages

‘Original and consistently entertaining writing from Flink. If this is only the first of many books, then I very much look forward to a follow-up. This paves the way for a lot of fun in the future.’ FREDRIKSSTAD BLAD

‘Jon Øystein Flink's hard-boiled trip of a crime parody is memorably energetic at its best.’

PHOTO: ANNA-JULIA GRANBERG / BLUNDERBUSS

MORGENBLADET

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Jon Øystein Flink (1976–) has studied music and philosophy, sat on the editorial boards of the periodicals Parergon and Kraftsentrum, and written music reviews for Morgenbladet and Dagsavisen. His first novel, Ole-Kristian Oksrød, was published in 2003. He has written novels, short stories, dramas and poetry, as well as essays and articles.

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SHORT STORIES, POETRY, ESSAYS

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SHORT STORIES

THERE IS STILL TIME All of the short stories in Ennå er det tid are unique in their own way. The writing is monologic and switches between spoken and everyday language. The purpose of the short stories is not primarily to tell stories – it is the atmosphere, emotions, main character's anger and thought processes, and generally the relationship between inner experience and the outside world that preoccupies the author. That is why the plot aspect is often simple and uncompounded, and often retrospective or suggestive in form. AUTHOR:

The short stories in Ennå er det tid are told from a subjective perspective in each text, something that gives a fluent and somewhat associate narrative. All of the short stories can be said to feature a kind of pain caused by deceased or absent persons.

TORA ØRDAL MIKKELBORG TITLE ENGLISH:

THERE IS STILL TIME TITLE NORWEGIAN:

ENNÅ ER DET TID FORMAT:

The main characters in the texts are almost consumed or “haunted” by other people and previous experiences of loss. They also often find themselves in an isolated or marginalised situation such as being in an institution, consumed by grief, alone with imaginary people or excluded from social interaction.

130x205 mm

PHOTO: KJELL RUBEN/PALOOKAVILLE

The author has a keen sense of what it means to be destructive or marginalised, and writes a sense of human shelteredness and distance that is able to touch and fascinate. With Ennå er det tid, Tore Ørdal Mikkelborg has written an exciting and unique collection of short stories.

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Tora Ørdal Mikkelborg (1985–) is a trained sociologist and works as a social worker. She comes from Kirkøy and lives in Fredrikstad.

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S H O RT S TO R I E S

THE GATES OF HELL HELVETESPORTEN

Thematically, Helvetesporten looks at Rodin's sculpture of the same name. In these three short stories we meet artists who are at a crucial point in their lives, both artistically and in their interpersonal relationships. In one of the stories we meet Rodin himself, who takes in a young Rainer Maria Rilke to assist him in his work with the sculpture. Hilde Lindset's second book is a powerful collection of short stories! AUTHOR:

HILDE LINDSET FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 192 pages Hilde Lindset (1978–) has a degree in Nordic literature, media theatre studies.

She has taught Norwegian literature and language at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. Currently, she lives in Berlin. She made her literary debut with Jeg burde sperret deg inne in 2012.

TURKISH BREAKFAST TYRKISK FROKOST

Tyrkisk frokost is Sunniva Lye Axelsen's third book in three years. None of her books are ever anything alike, and there is always something determined and uncompromising about her motives, not to mention the way they're written. The stories derive their substance from the darker side of life: disease, crime, loneliness and madness. These stories provide a concise and pertinent outside perspective, of all things Norwegian and the Norwegian mentality above all else, that evokes both horror and laughter. To reassure her Norwegian audience, the author also includes other perspectives and harrowing experiences. The author is uncompromising in the creation of her short stories, which are raw, brutal and burlesque.

AUTHOR:

SUNNIVA LYE AXELSEN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 136 pages

Sunniva Lye Axelsen (1980–) was born in Stavanger. She lives and works in Jerusalem.

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SHORT STORIES

THE CARACTÈRES. BASED ON THE WORKS OF LA BRUYÈRE Karakterer. Etter La Bruyère is loosely based on the French classic Les Caractères by Jean de La Bruyère (1645–1696), which was in itself a continuation of Teofrast's (around 371–287 BC) Characters. In Thomas Lundbo's version, the future is used to reflect our time as a kind of reversed science fiction. It contains a few direct translations from La Bruyère's texts, and also develops some ideas discussed in La Bruyère's book. AUTHOR:

THOMAS LUNDBO

This collection comprises original texts, it contains portraits of different 'characters' or types of people, small short story-like tales and aphoristic reflections on the historic development.

TITLE ENGLISH:

THE CHARACTÈRS TITLE NORWEGIAN:

KARAKTERER. ETTER LA BRUYÈRE

‘Karakterer. Etter La Bruyère is a non-traditional work. Bold as regards the choice of an old form, but linguistically readable and very clever. The texts allow room for reflection and contemplation, and are ideal for reading in chunks.’

FORMAT:

148x210 mm / 392 pages

TØNSBERGS BLAD

‘A playful, self-ironic and invigorating text about how and how quickly we “recreate” ourselves. The masks and fashions change so quickly that a “bohemian” becomes an “amateur” and then more or less “passé” in the space of nine lines. And we get the point. Well done, Lundbo.’ KLASSEKAMPEN

‘I'm having trouble thinking of another Norwegian publication in recent years that might be more aptly described as a “cornucopia”. While reading I sometimes wondered whether it was the qualities of the original that made it seem so fresh or whether Lundbo's style was simply coming into its own in this form – but it doesn't really matter. Put simply, we are all compositions or products of our own time, but also of times gone by. Lundbo dresses up in the finery of old, but not without an eye for what is new. Character literature in full regalia.’ MORGENBLADET

Thomas Lundbo (1971–) is an author and translator. His first work was the highly acclaimed Det som blir igjen (2006). In 2009 he was awarded the prize for the best translated book for young adults by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Karakterer. Etter la Bruyère was nominated for the Brage Award 2014.

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P O E T RY

CHEERFUL DEATH POEMS MUNTRE DØDSDIKT

Jan Jakob Tønseth has written a collection of cheerful death poems. After it was confirmed that he had breast cancer, his thoughts naturally turned to illness, time and death. It is with great authority and consciousness of form that he moves in a literary landscape where he quotes and engages in dialogues with other poets who have written about death: Wergeland, Baudelaire, Ekelöf and Nerval.

AUTHOR:

JAN JAKOB TØNSETH

This is a beautiful, gripping collection that makes the reader smile, chuckle and reflect on life and death. It is illustrated with old prints and drawings.

FORMAT:

151x226 mm / 64 pages

Jan Jakob Tønseth (1949–) has written several collections of poetry and

recreated Mallarmé, Rimbaud and Apollinaire, in addition to several novels. The works of Tønseth are critically acclaimed.

I’VE TRIED MAKING FRIENDS WITH ANIMALS JEG HAR PRØVD Å BLI VENN MED DYRENE

Kjersti Bjørkmo debuts with the poetry collection Jeg har prøvd å bli venn med dyrene. Here we're dealing with a very gifted poet. A surprising and strong use of imagery characterises Bjørkmo's poems. When used to explore classic themes such as loneliness, alienation, memories and so on, the poems expand and give a nostalgic sense of poetic delight.

AUTHOR:

KJERSTI BJØRKMO FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 48 pages

Kjersti Bjørkmo (1971–) was born in Lofoten and grew up in Tromsø. She now lives in Oslo. She studied Spanish at the University of Bergen and in Quito, Ecuador. Bjørkmo now works at Norwegian foundation Fritt Ord. She is included in this year's edition of Cappelen Damm's debut anthology Signaler. Jeg har prøvd å bli venn med dyrene is her first literary work.

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POETRY

DANGER OF AVALANCHES POEMS AND OTHER TEXTS SKREDFARE

Maria Tryti Vennerød worked on the blog project "Five seasons" throughout 2013. There she commented on large and small political and private events using poetic/dramatic language. She collaborated with Det norske teatret to turn this into four stunt performances around the country before the final full stop was added to the third scene. A selection of texts were woven together to create exciting and humorous theatre.

AUTHOR:

MARIA TRYTI VENNERØD FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 72 pages

Skredfare is political literature in the form of poetry. Maria Tryti Vennerød (1978–) launched her first work at the Norwegian Drama Festival in 2002. She was awarded the Ibsen Prize in 2005 for Dama i luka. Vennerød has been singled out as one of the most interesting young dramatists of her generation.

LOVE IS THAT THING KJÆRLIGHET ER DEN TING

In Kjærlighet er den Ting, we follow a couple from their first whirlwind romance to their more trivial everyday lives but always with faith, hope and love. Øvreås' straightforward and simple language makes for fun and rewarding reading. Partly explicit, partly heartfelt, never boring. I have a bone to pick with you this evening, forty winks to catch, when the cock crows we are two; eggs and bacon.

AUTHOR:

HÅKON ØVREÅS FORMAT:

151x226 mm / 72 pages

Håkon Øvreås (1974–) grew up in Hof, Vestfold. Øvreås has a postgraduate

degree in comparative literature. His first novel was called Avstanden mellom hus, and was published in 2008.

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P O E T RY

WHEN THE MOON IS RIGHT VED HELT RIKTIG MÅNE

Despard writes distinctively with leaps that lead to surprising comparisons, and a perspective that is playful and sharp. Balanced with a certain solemnity, she conveys strong emotions in a convincing way. In the United Kingdom, her poem Should I Die First was named one of the 50 best love poems published in the last 50 years. This collection also has beautiful and powerful poems about love and sorrow.

AUTHOR:

ANNABELLE DESPARD TITLE ENGLISH:

WHEN THE MOON IS RIGHT TITLE NORWEGIAN:

VED HELT RIKTIG MÅNE FORMAT:

Annabelle Despard (1943–) is born in Great Britain, but now lives in Kristiansand, Norway. She is graduated M.A., and made her debut as a poet in 1995. She has published several collections of poetry.

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PHOTO: C© KJARTAN BJELLAND

130x205 mm / 72 pages

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ESSAYS

DOUBLE LIFE Eivind Buene picks up musical threads from the novels Enmannsorkester and Allsang, and takes them further in a collection of literary essays. These texts listen, investigate and postulate, but most of all, they ask questions. What can music teach us about slowness? What stories can Glenn Gould’s piano stool tell? Why do we talk about writing a song? What does a Norwegian novel sound like – and what is it about Gustav Mahler? AUTHOR:

EIVIND BUENE

‘After reading this I feel much smarter and more sensitive.’

TITLE ENGLISH:

DOUBLE LIFE

KLASSEKAMPEN

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

DOBBELTLIV

‘Thoughtful and well-written novel about music and literature, and the relationship between them.’

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 256 pages

STAVANGER AFTENBLAD

‘... and I find myself hoping that Buene will be invited to lecture on music in Norwegian schools.’

PHOTO: CAPPELEN DAMM / ELLEN LANDE GOSSNER

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Eivind Buene (1973–) has been a composer in residence with orchestras and festivals in Norway and abroad. His music has been performed in prestigious venues like Centre Pompidou, Berlin Philharmonic Hall and Carnegie Hall. He made his literary debut in 2010 with the novel Enmannsorkester. Allsang from 2012 was his second novel.

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FLAMME FORLAG

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FLAMME FORLAG

I'M COMING! Is there anything more dangerous than a horny woman? That question was surely asked a hundred years ago, when ladies who were up for it were told Oh-shame-on-you – at least officially. Now, we react the other way round. We live at a time when lusting for someone is obligatory. Old and young alike. All the bonking time. We can hardly pass a newsagent without the tabloids bombarding us, on a more or less daily basis, with hints about how to practice our orgasms, breathe or eat the right way to get them, or talk dirty until we have one. Is it so odd if our heroine asks herself: I don't come, so is there something wrong with me? The leading lady in Jeg kommer snart is a rather ordinary woman who lies down one day to find out – on her own, or, better, by her own hand – if she can do orgasms or not. And while she lies there, the reader is allowed to sneak into her head and listen to her thoughts and find out about whom she is thinking while she tries to come. This is how Jeg kommer snart becomes something as unusual as a kind of sexual biography, or sexual catalogue, in which we follow what our masturbating heroine is thinking about, like who she has been with and what it was like, and why, to this very day, she hasn't managed to get a decent orgasm out of it all. Meanwhile, her family is buzzing about on the other side of her bedroom door, forever knocking on it and wondering why she isn't coming (out) soon.

AUTHOR:

SELMA LØNNING AARØ TITLE ENGLISH:

I'M COMING!

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

JEG KOMMER SNART FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 208 pages RIGHTS SOLD TO:

CANADA (House of Anansi) GERMANY (Droemer Knaur) TURKEY (Dedalus Kitap)

Selma Lønning Aarø's new novel is about the acute and very real panic that can spread throughout a sexually frustrated woman's body. Jeg kommer snart is wise, sensitive, funny and, as an existential diagnosis of our time – and our media – almost too close to the bone. ‘Jeg kommer snart offers a lot in the way of entertainment, this is light-hearted and quickly-read satire of our often self-centred endeavours to achieve perfect lives and sex lives.’ DAGBLADET

Selma Lønning Aarø (1972–) made her debut in 1995 with Den endelige

historien. She has been a newspaper columnist for Dagbladet and Klassekampen for a number of years. Her latest novel is En rekke avbrutte forsøk. Reidar og den store magen was her first children’s book.

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‘Daring and direct writing about a woman's inability to orgasm, with great satirical subtext. ... In this book, sex is associated with destructive forces such as violence, crime and death. Lønning Aarø has written a book about something rarely discussed nowadays, a frigid woman (as they were referred to way back when), through which she has a nice ironic go at contemporary trends.’ BERGENS TIDENDE

‘Funny, smart and important novel about the last sexual taboo – why do women fake it?’ DAGBLADET

‘The structure of this novel is delightfully simple… Here Aarø is given the opportunity to talk nonsense about things that many people have observed and will relate to. … How do routines become established in a relationship? How long do the batteries last in a vibrator? There is also a hint of ice-cold darkness in Jeg kommer snart … It takes a while for the reader to understand that this does not belong to the light, chicklit genre they initially thought they'd delved into.’ DAGENS NÆRINGSLIV

‘Five years have passed since Selma Lønning Aarø's last novel. Her distinctive mixture of comedy and seriousness remains intact. This is quite simply enjoyable reading.’ KK

‘A serious enough theme can be found at the heart of this novel, connected to society's expectations of a woman, her expectations of herself, and not least of sexuality. But Lønning Aarø portrays this with a playful elegance and linguistic devices which make this highly entertaining reading.’ HAMAR ARBEIDERBLAD

‘Aarø uses humour to approach a theme which is darker and more important than sex: all the stress we go through in trying to be someone worth loving. And she succeeds in being both funny and serious.’ DAG OG TID

‘Selma Lønning Aarø writes very pointedly about sex, lust and shame. The story of Julie's enduring efforts to achieve sexual release makes for entertaining literature. Even though she is intimate with others, she avoids being too private and this also makes it relevant outside of the main character's bedroom.' AVISA SUNNHORDLAND

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FLAMME FORLAG

GRANDIOSA

Olav Løkken Reisop

F°227

GRANDIOSA

Grandiosa

Nikolai has, to his great despair, forgotten to decline his invitation to the residents' association's annual dinner. This means that he must spend an entire evening as a guest of Rolf Slependen, a nouveau-riche architect who has build himself a luxury apartment on the top floor of the tallest apartment building in the condominium. The other guests represent a cross section of the new cultural elite. As dinner progresses, the atmosphere around the table becomes more and more tense. Mr and Mrs Slependen are clearly drunk before the main course is even served. And it is clear to the guests that they were not invited to the Slependen's house out of politeness, but to bear witness to a merciless battle between spouses. Grandiosa is a hysterically funny novel about art and kitsch, architecture and the self-image of new culture capitalists.

AUTHOR:

OLAV LØKKEN REISOP FORMAT:

130x205 mm

Olav Løkken Reisop (1980–) debuted in 2011 with the book Pastisj. He is a trained architect and literary scholar, and writes literary criticism for Dagbladet.

SAVE THE CHILDREN REDD BARNA

Tanja has moved to Hakadal outside of Olso with her husband and two children. Here she tries to build a home, make packed lunches, keep the driveway clear of snow – and put the past behind her. This proves more difficult that she initially imagined. When her mother dies, Tanja gets back in touch with her brother Mikael, who has problems with substance abuse. ‘Everything will fix itself overnight,’ Tanja used to tell herself. She imagines falling asleep and that an ingenious clock is ticking inside her – securing, rerouting and reinstalling. But that is not how it works any more. At night the floodgates open. And suddenly she cannot get the days to connect.

AUTHOR:

TIRIL BROCH AAKRE

Redd barna is a warm, powerful novel about sorrow, fear and everday Sisyphean labour. Tiril Broch Aakre (1976–) previously worked as an editor in the publishing house Tiden Norsk Forlag. She now works as a translator and consultant. She made her debut in 2013 with Kniplinger, a collection of poems.

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F L A M M E F O R L AG

THE SQUARE

VICTO

RIA DURNAK

In Victoria Durnak's second novel, unemployed gardener Nora decides to get in touch with people giving things away on classified ad website Finn.no. She offers to deliver the items to those who want them, and ushers in the winter season as an unpaid carrier.

RG TO

F…2

A bookcase leaves bruises, an egg cup disappears and a stack of dishtowels sits innocuously in a white plastic bag. Almost everything ends up where it's supposed to, but it's unclear who's helping whom. When Nora goes to pick up a poster for delivery, she sees that the poster guy has an album full of childhood photos of her best friend Siri. He demands something in return for it. Has Nora got anything that might tempt him?

AUTHOR:

VICTORIA DURNAK TITLE ENGLISH:

THE SQUARE

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

Objects and people of varying value circulate in Torget. Tables can mean more than glasses, objects more than events.

TORGET

FORMAT:

130x205 mm

Victoria Durnak (1989–) debuted in 2010 with the poetry collection

Stockholm sier. She has since released another collection of poetry and one novel.

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FLAMME FORLAG

A SEPARATE ROOM Anna Louisa Millisdotter has her own room and a bank account full of money – what more could a 70-year-old want? Anna Louisa is ripped from her quiet retirement by an article in the country's second biggest newspaper. The author is the same woman who once persuaded her to go into public exile. The woman who claimed to have been lured into prostitution by her academic supervisor. Former student Catherine Wolf, now a professor in Anna Louisa's old faculty. And suddenly the game is on for Anna Louisa. She decides to show her face in public again – for the first time in 20 years. AUTHOR:

Et eget rom is priceless feminist satire, a chamber play with room for both bitcoins and saloon guns.

LOTTA ELSTAD TITLE ENGLISH:

A SEPARATE ROOM TITLE NORWEGIAN:

ET EGET ROM

‘The first three quarters of Et eget rom is a solid, intellectual and entertaining novel. It is when Anna Louisa is on her way to the eastern side of Oslo that the tempo picks up and the existential aspect of the novel comes into its own. The conclusion is a painful and memorable punchline.’

FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 208 pages

MORGENBLADET

‘In light, satirical style and with a precise depiction of distinctly Norwegian societal structures, Elstad explores the need to find a place in the world and give life meaning, and how banal the outcome of this struggle can be no matter how strong the fighting spirit once was.’

PHOTO: HEIDI FURRE

KLASSEKAMPEN

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Lotta Elstad (1982–) has previously published En såkalt drittjobb (Manifest, 2009), a critically acclaimed non-fiction title looking at relationships in the hotel business. This is her fiction debut.

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F L A M M E F O R L AG

DOOMSDAY Dommedøgn is a disaster novel about Berg, a little village on the west coast of Norway where the mountains tower over the village and the fjord stretches deep beneath them. A village whose continued existence has been secured all these years because of a factory which has now closed. A place where the rational and productive human being is flanked by a powerful and irrational nature which would increasingly have its own way. What will happen to them when the structures they have spent their entire lives building, fall? We follow five characters. All of them are trying to give meaning to an existence which seems to have lost it, but from the mountain and out over the fjord hangs a rock which constantly threatens to fall into the water.

AUTHOR:

KJERSTI WØIEN HÅLAND TITLE ENGLISH:

DOOMSDAY

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

‘Håland shows insight into the dynamics of the local community. She presents oblique reflections from both the town hall and pub with linguistic freshness. ... For those of us who fear or are fascinated by catastrophe, Dommedøgn is a somewhat erratic but entertaining literary supplement.’

DOMMEDØGN FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 192 pages

KLASSEKAMPEN

‘Pulse racing: adrenaline pumps throughout this postmodern portrait that Kjersti Wøien Håland has painted of a village in a crisis. ... Kjesti Wøien Håland has a poetic streak that is all her own, and is without a doubt a literary talent in full development.’ DAG OG TID

‘Kjersti Wøien Håland has written an illustrious novel about a village on its deathbed.’ NOMINATION JURY FOR THE YOUNG CRITICS’ PRIZE

Kjersti Wøien Håland (1988–) comes from Høyanger in Sogn og Fjordane

and now lives in Oslo. She debuted in 2013 with Kjersti er ein fiktiv person, helsing Kjersti; a poetry collection about being young, about being watched by and watching others, about cherry-patterned bedclothes and dancing beside your window. It was a witty and bitter debut which is now followed by a frightening and penetrating novel about many lives being threatened by something bigger.

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FLAMME FORLAG

WE ARE STANDING HERE Writing poetry can be a bit of an exercise in examining yourself. Both mentally and geographically. You write to find out where you've been, where you're going and where you are. And with whom. In Vi står her, we meet a young girl who has had a difficult and traumatic relationship with her father, who gets sick and dies. How do you orientate yourself after something like that? How do you create your own world? How do you tell the difference between people who want to hurt you and people who wish you well? And what if they're the same people? This is what the young girl fears, and it is something we all fear – that nowhere is safe or entirely good. Wherever it might be.

AUTHOR:

THEA TRØEN BJERTNES TITLE ENGLISH:

WE ARE STANDING HERE TITLE NORWEGIAN:

VI STÅR HER

‘Vi står her is an honest collection of poetry where the poems haven't been written for poetry's sake. ... Trøen Bjertnes has something to say, and that is why Vi står her makes a genuine impression.’

FORMAT:

120x180 mm / 88 pages

UNIVERSITAS

‘Thea Trøen Bjertnes' texts really shine when it comes to paternal bonds. ... There is therefore no reason why debutante Bjertnes should move away from the themes in this collection when she starts on the next one.’ AFTENPOSTEN

Thea Trøen Bjertnes (1989–) lives in Oslo. She studies library and information science with Oslo and Akershus College of Applied Sciences.

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F L A M M E F O R L AG

Atle Håland

HAN

Atle Håland's Han is a collection of love poems about he and he: about the boy that has to stand behind the silo and wait for the boy who has just got up on stage to sing with a band behind him. To sing and be a punk star. But after the last song of the encore, when he goes to meet he again, no one can see them. No one is allowed to see them. In the first poem, their hands barely touch. In the last, they have not met for a long time. Everything lies between.

Han F°220

The poems in Han are interchangeably warm and cold, about a love that first pushes you away, then embraces you, then pushes you away again, a bit harder, then embraces you again, a bit tighter. The boys have one summer together, a summer with lowkey, secret parties in empty holiday homes and other secluded places.

AUTHOR:

ATLE HÅLAND

Atle Håland (1985–) lives in Kristiansand. He studied creative writing in Bø. Poetry collection Han is his first publication.

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE I’LL BE HAPPY ET STED DER UTE ER JEG LYKKELIG

Camilla Groth looks at some of Edvard Munch's works (Puberty, The Drowned Boy, etc.) and writes herself into them, into the minds and lives of those depicted. What's going through the mind of the young girl on the edge of the bed as Edvard's gaze moves over her again and again? Et sted der ute er jeg lykkelig reverses the relationship between the artist and his motives: here they're staring back at him. AUTHOR:

CAMILLA GROTH

Camilla Groth (1973–) is a writer. She made her literary debut in 2008 with the poetry collection Nature Boy.

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FLAMME FORLAG

19 POISONINGS Nils Chr. Moe-Repstad’s new collection of poetry is about poisonings in the broadest sense – about plagues, infections and pesticides, but also about pollution, political corruption and financial exploitation. The poems make great leaps in time and space: we move from Noah’s ark to Kirkegaten in Kristiansand, from the zealots’ mass suicide on the Masada plateau in 73 AD to sea levels rising, and from climbing plant propagation to a hypothetical future. He looks at poisoned bodies, fragile souls and corrupt societal bodies. Nils Chr. Moe-Repstad’s previous book, Teori om det eneste, was nominated for the Brage Award, and he has now written a new poetic masterpiece.

AUTHOR:

NILS CHRISTIAN MOE-REPSTAD TITLE ENGLISH:

19 POISONINGS

‘19 forgiftninger is a book that demands a lot from the reader, but also gives a lot back in the form of a palpable sense of intensity and sensibility.’

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

19 FORGIFTNINGER FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 72 pages

DAGSAVISEN

‘The sense of nature’s indifference is dizzying in Nils Christian Moe-Repstad’s poetic exploration of the consequences of poisoning.’ MORGENBLADET

‘I think that 19 forgiftninger is Nils Chr. Moe-Repstad’s best book to date. Last year he was nominated for the Brage Prize. This year he might just win it!’ AFTENPOSTEN

Nils Christian Moe-Repstad (1972–) has published six collections of poetry. He has been involved in several music projects. Moe-Repstad’s poetry has been translated into French, Italian, Dutch and Danish.

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F L A M M E F O R L AG

A YOUNG THRUSH IN A FLOWING ELM AT FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING This is Geir Gulliksen's first poetry collection since 2008. The poems are about living with yourself and others and how the basic relationship between all organic life is more important than individual, human relationships. A young thrush. Hibernating ants. The beech tree that was once almost a sister or aunt to a young boy. An eight-minute-long relationship between a man and a white wagtail.

AUTHOR:

GEIR GULLIKSEN TITLE ENGLISH:

A YOUNG THRUSH IN A FLOWING ELM AT FIVE, O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

The poems are written as sketches and variations that discuss amongst themselves how to approach the living. Is it possible to write yourself into other life forms without resorting to crude animation?

TITLE NORWEGIAN:

UNG TROST KLOKKEN FEM OM MORGENEN I EN BRUSENDE ALM FORMAT:

130x205 mm / 56 pages

‘Geir Gulliksen's first collection of poetry in six years can be summed up as follows: tenderness – towards birds, trees, seasons, people and memories. ... Another strength of this book is that it challenges the reader's self-image. And is that not what we're looking for when we read?' KLASSEKAMPEN

‘Outstanding poetry about the bird carcasses strewn around us. Exploratory and sensual with images that you can revisit in the midst of the Christmas rush. Equal parts clever and touching.' KLASSEKAMPEN: BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Geir Gulliksen (1963–) is one of Norway’s leading and most influential authors. Since his debut in 1986, he has written more than twenty books across more or less all genres: poetry, prose, drama, essay and children’s books. Ung trost klokken fem om morgenen i en brusende alm is his first book with Flamme Forlag.

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FLAMME FORLAG

NOTHING HAPPENED

Inger Wold Lund Ingenting skjedde Fº239

A family sit on the train, eating sausages from a large plastic container. A couple move all of their belongings into the bathroom. A young man speaks ardently about a mistake in the translation of Kafka's The Trial. The sky changes colour from black to blue, and as it reaches a particular nuance, all the birds start to sing. IMG_0239.jpg

Inger Wold Lund writes short prose based on everyday events. Her art is not in the language as such, but in the excerpts from reality – the narrator's perspective of the world around them. In a way, these pieces of prose are also a call for increased receptivity: how do we see what we see? How much of reality is lost to us because we don't keep our eyes and ears open?

AUTHOR:

INGER WOLD LUND TITLE ENGLISH:

NOTHING HAPPENED TITLE NORWEGIAN:

INGENTING SKJEDDE FORMAT:

120x180 mm

Inger Wold Lund (1983–) is a debutante. She is also a painter and used to run the gallery Percival in Grünerløkka in Oslo.

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COMMERCIAL FICTION

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Book 7,8 and 9 On sale from June 2015

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The Saga of Eyvind Bolt Eyvind Bolt is young, strong and the heir to a large family farm. He is forced to do battle with evil forces in a struggle for power and glory. And several very influential women lurk in the background… Sagaen om Eyvind Bolt is a new series of thrillers from 14th century Norway. Eyvind Bol’s future looks promising. But when he refuses to bend to the will of the Church, powerful bishop Armand wants him dead. Armand sends assassins after Eyvind, who flees to the mountains. There he hunts a reindeer, and as he shoots it, he realises he is not alone. There is another arrow in the animal’s heart, next to his own arrow. He turns, afraid, but the strange hunter is not one of the men pursuing him. It’s a woman. A woman just as skilled with a bow as he is… Eyvind can’t take his eyes off her. They share the kill, but he doesn’t find out who she is or what she’s called. When she leaves, Eyvind doesn’t think he’ll ever see her again. At the same time, an even greater foe is approaching. The year is 1349, and a terrible plague is spreading fast – the Black Death. The only person who knows what to do is old Roda, the Bolt family’s “clairvoyant” woman. She tries to keep Eyvind’s farm isolated, but the plague is an insidious foe. In the wake of the plague the country becomes a lawless place where only the strongest survive – and then Armand gets hold of Eyvind and takes his inheritance from him. Eyvind is forced to flee and take Gunnhild with him. When he finds his betrothed, she is with the strange woman from the mountains. Eyvind is attracted to both of them and fierce jealousy ensues. But he is in no doubt when it comes to Armand: he decides to fight for what is rightfully his.

It’s all about power and glory, faith and betrayal, passion and love.

WILLY USTAD (1946–) is one of Norway’s most popular authors. He has worked as a soldier, industrial worker and trade unionist, and his first book was published in 1989. He has now had 76 books published – eight novels, two books of factual prose, and the rest as parts of five series. In his thriller series Sagaen om Eyvind Bolt, he breathes life into one of Norwegian history’s most dramatic events.

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CO M M E RC I A L F I CT I O N

SUNNIVA'S SAGA SAGAEN OM SUNNIVA

The year is 1349. On the Elvestad farm, they are preparing for the wedding of the young farmer's daughter Sunniva Persdatter, just as the Plague is closing its clammy fist around the countryside. Sunniva must fight for her life. This powerful saga is about people who are torn from one another, about fates that are interwoven and about the bonds of love that are forged and broken.

AUTHOR:

LIV KARIN KIRKEBØEN ALMENDINGEN 23 BOOKS

RINGS OF LOVE ÅRRINGER

A heart-warming and intimate tale set in Lunnerskog in the year 1907. Silja Olafsen, the only child of timber mill owner Arvid Olafsen, faces a difficult decision. Should she marry and add children to the family brood, or defy her father and take over the running of the timber mill? In the midst of her decision-making process, a stranger shows up in the village: a travelling log driver known as King of the River. Shortly afterwards the village is struck by an unfortunate incident.

AUTHOR:

YVONNE ANDERSEN 20 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA HAVETS DATTER

Elisabeth gazed over the small, gray tree stumps under the mountain while she grasped the worn suitcase in her hand. She was sixteen and off to work as a servant on the Dalsrud estate. She had never been away from her childhood home and now felt expectation and a sense of freedom. Drama, romance and the hard life in Lofoten, Norway. AUTHOR:

TRINE ANGELSEN 30 BOOKS RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

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CO M M E RC I A L F I CT I O N

ORIGINAL SIN ARVESYND

Young, beautiful Mali comes from a poor family and is "sold" into marriage to a rich farmer boy. The marriage is loveless, and Mali suffers. One day a band of gypsies turn up at the farm, and Mali meets the wild, handsome Jo. Now she learns what love is all about, but this discovery will have fatal consequences for her whole life. This series has broken all records in readership and sales figures. Three chapters in English are available.

AUTHOR:

ANNE-LISE BOGE 26 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: FINLAND, POLAND AND SWEDEN

MOTHER'S HEART MORSHJERTE

The year is 1928. Maren is the daughter of the merchant Thorvald Bredli. He is a wealthy man, with a lot of influence in the community. Since Maren is the only one who can carry on his legacy, he expects her to find a husband of equal social standing. One day the indigent boy Trond Lia is given a job in the storehouse. Maren falls head-over-heels, and the young woman is unaware of the dramatic consequences this relationship will have in regard to her life.

AUTHOR:

ANNE-LISE BOGE 26 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO POLAND

THE STRAWBERRY LADIES JORDBÆRDAMENE

Life is good in the suburbs of Oslo in the 1950s, and Strawberry Hill is a housewife's paradise. A place where they can live with their young families and guard their perfect façades with eagle eyes. But when a woman with two children and no wedding ring moves into the area, this idyll is shattered. The stage is set for intrigue and revelations of unspeakable proportions...

AUTHOR:

SYNNØVE ERIKSEN 12 BOOKS

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LEGACY LIVSARVEN

The story of Livsarven takes place at the venerable Gimle Farm in Vestfold in the 1880s. This is an action-packed and heartwarming tale, which revolves around the lives and loves of three young women at a time when women were rarely in charge of their own destinies.

AUTHOR:

ANN-CHRISTIN GJERSØE 36 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

MISTLETOE MISTELTEIN

Forbidden feelings – Intense attraction – Tumultuous jealousy The year is 1918, and the Spanish flu comes to Horten. A young girl, Selma, wakes up in the middle of the night to see her mother disappearing out into the darkness. Selma follows her. Her mother is a nurse and is helping the crew of a ship down by the quay. Unfortunately, it is there that she is infected... Mum threw herself restlessly from side to side. Selma tried to calm her, but to no avail. Mum tore at her uniform as she gasped for air.

AUTHOR:

ELISABETH HAMMER 16 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

THE STONE WITH VIOLETS FIOLSTEINEN

One morning a baby girl is found abandoned on the doorstep at Grønvoll farm. It turns out the baby is of Gypsy blood and has a deformed foot. At Grønvoll, the girl is taken care of by the spinster Gurine and given the name Hansine. Life in the mid 1800s is far from blissful at Grønvoll, but Hansine grows up to become a wise and beautiful young woman, and, as it turns out, she appears to have supernatural powers ... Hansine struggles to fit in with the locals who never quite approve of her, and one day she vanishes.

AUTHOR:

INGER HARRIET HEGSTAD 24 BOOKS.

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

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CO M M E RC I A L F I CT I O N

WIND OF CHANGE SØNNAVIND

The author takes us to the factories and houses along the river Akerselva in Oslo, 1905. Elise and her little sister work at one of the factories. Their mother is ill and their father an alcoholic. Elise must take responsibility for her family. The radical changes occurring at the turn of the century, and the fate of the common people are brought sharply into focus in this successful saga. AUTHOR:

FRID INGULSTAD 73 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015 RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

INGEBJØRG OLAVSDATTER INGEBJØRG OLAVSDATTER

By 1352, the Black Death has killed two-thirds of the Norwegian population. A young girl, Ingebjørg Olavsdatter lost her father. Ingebjørg is young, strong and beautiful, but as an unmarried woman she has little to say regarding her own future. A gripping tale from the Middle Ages; a personal and political drama. AUTHOR:

FRID INGULSTAD 45 BOOKS.

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

ALVESTAD ALVESTAD

Love and desire, betrayals and mysteries, poverty and the harsh everyday grind are all components of Elin Brend Johansen's new suite of novels set at the end of the 19th century. For many years, Ingrid Alvestad lived peacefully as a member of the upper class in Christiania, but one day, a telegram shatters the calm. Her father has died and Ingrid has inherited a large estate in ancient province of Romerike. Soon, Ingrid is forced to choose between duty and longing, between her responsibilities and her dreams. The estate, where past sins still lurk, does not welcome her.

AUTHOR:

ELIN BREND JOHANSEN 34 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

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DANGEROUS POWERS FARLIGE KREFTER

In Farlige krefter, an historical series set in Ringerike in the 1600s, we meet the young and passionate heiress to Svanemyr manor, Sunniva. She is blissfully ignorant of the extent of her supernatural powers, but will soon enough experience that her powers will have fatal consequences. In this dramatic series we follow Sunniva's struggle to survive in a time when women with supernatural powers were burned at the stake. AUTHOR:

ELIN BREND JOHANSEN 21 BOOKS

WATER FALL FOSSEFALL

Passion and Mystery at Finnskogen! Fossefall is set in Finnskogen, an enormous forested area that stretches along both sides of the Norwegian-Swedish border. Finnish immigrants settled there in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the culture is rich with myths and sagas. Amalie, a farmer's daughter, has fallen in love with a Finnish man named Mitti. Her parents have other plans for her. They have already decided that she will marry the town's sheriff.

AUTHOR:

JORUNN JOHANSEN 55 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

SUNRISE SOLOPPGANG

Intrigue, love and surprises that will take the reader's breath away. Andrine Tronvik (17) lives in wretched conditions on a farm in Kongsvinger. The old fortress towers over the farm at the top of the hill. But why does Andrine see a decapitated woman on the fortress walls? Is she some form of manifestation from a bygone era? And what gives Andrine the impression that the woman is innocent? Life changes radically for Andrine when she discovers the secrets borne by her own family.

AUTHOR:

JORUNN JOHANSEN 32 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

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IN WAR AND LOVE I KRIG OG KJÆRLIGHET

This story is set during the Second World War. From an early age, Kristin has looked after her home and siblings, and has not been particularly concerned with what is going on in Europe towards the end of the 1930s. She just dreams about marrying Jan and living happily together. But soon the war casts its shadow over her world, and she is forced to make a choice that will influence the course of her life. AUTHOR:

ELSE BERIT KRISTIANSEN 46 BOOKS

WHITE FROST RIMFROST

The sorceress Rime is guarding a much soughtafter secret. As a result she is afraid to fall in love. Only Bork, a farmer's son, succeeds in wearing down her defences. This strong, silent man makes an impression on her, and against her will she is drawn to him. However, Rime has mighty enemies who are aware of her secret and want a share of it. She is not safe anywhere ... AUTHOR:

TRUDE BRÆNNE LARSSEN 14 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

EYES OF THE WOLF ULVEØYNE

This Viking saga is set in a period of time when superstition was stronger than religion, when tempers ran high and conflicts were solved by the sword. When the little slave-girl is born, people are shocked at her appearance: raven-black hair and ice-grey, luminous eyes. Word has it her father must have been a wolf, and so she is given the name Ulva. Refusing a life of slavery, Ulva runs away and tries to survive on her own.

AUTHOR:

TRUDE BRÆNNE LARSSEN 26 BOOKS RIGHTS SOLD TO POLAND

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THE ROSE GARDEN ROSEHAGEN

In 1881, ten-year-old Emily and her mother set out on a voyage. The ship goes down. Emily survives but loses her memory. Twelve years later she discovers a letter that reveals the fact that her life has been founded on a web of lies fabricated by her own mother. A series in which tension, intrigues and hidden pasts mingle.

AUTHOR:

MERETE LIEN 65 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015 RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

DESCENDANTS OF THE STORM BARN AV STORMEN

Agnete is the daughter of a harbor pilot and lives on an island with a fierce and beautiful nature. The story begins when she falls in love and faces a difficult choice between two men. Agnete and those close to her must fight against inner and outer enemies, as well as the ferocious forces of nature on the island that faces the wild ocean. This is a touching love story that also paints a picture of the daily lives near the end of the 1700s.

AUTHOR:

MERETE LIEN 36 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

THE MIDWIFE JORDMOREN

As a newly qualified midwife Astri moves to a small community in Western Norway in the 1920s. Work as a district midwife can be both lonely and dangerous, but Astri is pursuing a long time dream. Although the locals are welcoming and seem eager to meet her, she senses their apprehension. She settles in – and faces the challenges of a district midwife. Astri's story is a momentous drama of love and betrayal, life and death.

AUTHOR:

SIGRID LUNDE

A new saga by Sigrid Lunde, Lokketoner, started in 2013. 12 books by the end of 2014.

66 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

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KRISTIN OF GILSTAD ODELSJENTA

This series is set in the mountain village of Aurdal in Valdres in the late 1800s. Kristin is the rightful heiress of the grand farm Gilstad and expected to marry a man of her father's choice. Kristin is horrified when she finds out which man her father has chosen for her, but has no saying in the matter. The marriage will assure the future of Gilstad and bury her father's dark secrets from the past ... But Kristin's heart belongs to someone her father never, ever will accept into the Gilstad family.

AUTHOR:

ANNE MARIE MEYER 50 BOOKS RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

FLAME DANCE FLAMMEDANS

The year is 1880. A band of gypsies roams through Lillehammer and the surrounding countryside. We follow their lives, full of drama, excitement and passion, through towns and deep forests. Anna is a young gypsy girl travelling with a large group of migrants. Her engagement to Nikolai is celebrated one bright summer night. But before they are married, a murder is committed in the camp. Nikolai is forced to flee and Anna is left to fend for herself.

AUTHOR:

JANE MYSEN 72 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015 RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

THE CHAINS OF LIFE LIVETS LENKER

The year is 1856. At Heimsett farm, 18-year-old Elen is growing up. Even if the family lives in poverty, Elen is happy. But one day, a great tragedy is revealed. Her father has incurred huge debts. Unexpectedly, the doctor in the village offers to save the family farm from being sold at auction. His one request is that Elen accepts be his bride … AUTHOR:

CHRISTIN GRILSTAD PRØIS 38 BOOKS

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ANNA'S FATE ANNAS SKJEBNE

It is the year 1900, and on a cold winter's day in Hallingdal, fouryear-old Anna Johnsen is taken away by child care authorities. She is placed with Helga and Nils Bergmoen, a deeply religious couple who take saving little Anna from the sinful life in Ura as their calling. “Not now, sweetheart.” Her mother had started to cry. “I will come for you. I promise,” she whispered and dried her own tears before reaching out her hand to stroke Anna's damp cheek. “It's just that I didn't want to go away before I'd seen you and said goodbye, but I will write to you … and I will come back.”

AUTHOR:

ELLINOR RAFAELSEN 18 BOOKS

GUNHILD'S CHOICE FARSARVEN

In this historical series set in Hallingdal, Norway, in the late 1800s we get to know the life of Gunnhild Johnsen and her five children after her husband follows his dream and sets off to America to find gold. All he leaves Gunnhild is a letter with a promise to return ... one day. Gunnhild struggles to provide for her family after her husband abandons them in poverty, and in despair she decides to put the children into foster care and seek work outside the small village in Hallingdal. Will Gunnhild's husband return from America as a wealthy man? And will his family be there to welcome him back?

AUTHOR:

ELLINOR RAFAELSEN 18 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

NEW HORIZONS NYE HORISONTER

Trondheim, 1925. Amanda is an only child and heir to the Eikelund estate. A rebellious young woman, she strays from her parents' conservative plans and desires for her future. Persistent confrontations lead her mother and father hoping to arrange a marriage without delay – and when she falls head over heels for a young seafaring vagabond, her father threatens to disinherit her.

AUTHOR:

ELLINOR RAFAELSEN 20 BOOKS

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THE NIGHTMAN’S DAUGHTER NATTMANNENS DATTER

A warm and thrilling tale of poverty-stricken orphaned children set in 18th century Bergen. Bergen, 1701. Lucie Tønnisdatter holds a lasting memory of her father, seized by mysterious men when she was young. He'd told her he'd always take care of her, but in his absence she was forced to grow up alongside the other poor, orphaned children of the feared Manufactory House.

AUTHOR:

MAY LIS RUUS 31 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

AMBROSIA 1814 AMBROSIA 1814

It is a warm spring day in 1813 and Ambrosia Holmsdatter is on her way to Eidsvoll with her mother and siblings. Europe is ravaged by war, and need is great in Norway. Ambrosia's father is dead and the family must say goodbye to a life of prosperity in the city. A new life is waiting for them on Tråkka Farm, where their mother's half-brother Hugo Trampe is waiting to welcome them. Ambrosia is soon caught up in both drama and love, and she knows that those close to her have many secrets.

AUTHOR:

BERIT ELISABETH SANDVIKEN 10 BOOKS

THE BEACH HOTEL SKJÆRGÅRDSLIV

Drøbak, 1909. A summer paradise. Girls on the threshold of adulthood. An unsolved murder. Josefine and her younger sister, Martine, arrive in Drøbak to live with their aunt following their parents' death. It's here that they come closer to learning the truth about their mother's death, and discover that the small town idyll is no more than a superficial façade … AUTHOR:

JEANETTE SEMB 22 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

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CO M M E RC I A L F I CT I O N

THE GULDBERG SAGA STORGÅRDSFOLK

Johanna is the eldest daughter of the country policeman in the farm district of Hedmark. When her father dies in an accidental gunshot incident, Johanna – a young girl at the end of the 18th century – must take responsibility for the farm and the police work. She feels confident that she will manage. However, when it comes to love … things are not as simple. An abridged English version of book no. 1 is available.

AUTHOR:

EVA J. STENSRUD 60 BOOKS RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

THE TIMBER GIRL LASSJENTA

A magical series from the 1800s. Barbra is 16 years old when she runs away from her home in Julsruddalen, taking with her a dangerous secret. Barbra dreams of being a "timber girl", working to transport timber to Christiania (now Oslo). But a young girl on her own, travelling desolate country roads and staying in disreputable inns is tempting prey. AUTHOR:

BERIT SANDVIKEN 34 BOOKS

RIGHTS SOLD TO: POLAND

THE SILVER RIBBON SØLVBÅNDET

Wealth and romance from Nordland! Victoriahavn (Narvik), 1899. Maiken’s sister has left home to work at the new railway construction near the Swedish border. Maiken is determined to follow after her, but her parents do not want their youngest daughter to cook for weather-beaten navvies. They want Maiken to marry young priest Daniel Ingstad, who likes her very much. While he is courting her, she earns money working in the rectory, which is a far better life than working among navvies in the wilderness.

AUTHOR:

MARTINE STRØMSNES 14 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

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CO M M E RC I A L F I CT I O N

ROSE-COLOURED ROSEMALT

Painful and touching farm drama! Rebekka Lie is 17 years old and an orphan. She dreams of becoming a painter, but must instead work on the Lie Farm in Østerdalen. Her boyfriend, Jens, has emigrated to America. The farmer on Lie Farm welcomes Rebekka, but his wife is unable to give the farm an heir and has thus become a stern and bitter woman.

AUTHOR:

ANNIKKI ØVERGÅRD 18 BOOKS BY THE END OF 2015

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